Wind and solar energy curtailment: A review of international experience

Abstract

Greater penetrations of variable renewable generation on electric grids have resulted in increased levels of curtailment in recent years. Studies of renewable energy grid integration have found that curtailment levels may grow as the penetration of wind and solar energy generation increases. This paper reviews international experience with curtailment of wind and solar energy on bulk power systems in recent years, with a focus on eleven countries in Europe, North America, and Asia. It examines levels of curtailment, the causes of curtailment, curtailment methods and use of market-based dispatch, as well as operational, institutional, and other changes that are being made to reduce renewable energy curtailment.

Assessing the Potential Benefits and Limits of Electric Storage Heaters for Wind Curtailment Mitigation: A Finnish Case Study

“…In addition, it is supposed that the windows of the houses have an insignificant thermal mass compared with the rest of the building envelope, whereas the space heating system is assumed to be convective. The representation of a 2-capacity building thermal model is related by first-order differential Equations (1) and (2).…”

“…In 2016 alone, around 13 GW has been added to the system, accounting for about 50% of the new capacity installation [1]. Though this is a practical step towards a carbon-neutral power system, this must be treated carefully as the systems have already been experiencing elevated levels of curtailment [2]. It is projected that the curtailment level will jump from 0.4 TWh (2020) to 9.3 TWh (2030) [3].…”

Sizing Hydrogen Energy Storage in Consideration of Demand Response in Highly Renewable Generation Power Systems

“…However, the intermittent and uncertain nature of solar and wind generation has led to considerable uncertainty as to how to balance energy demand with production [3]. For instance, 16 GWh of solar generation and 358 GWh of wind generation was curtailed in Germany in 2012 [4]. Curtailment is a natural response to preserve the capability of the system at times of excess production.…”

Optimal Curtailment of Non-Synchronous Renewable Generation on the Island of Tenerife Considering Steady State and Transient Stability Constraints

“…These power stations are very different in nature from the conventional synchronous generation that has dominated the development of power systems over the course of the 20th century. The difficulties of integrating these technologies have led to preventive curtailment of renewable generation in several systems over the last decade [1,2]. One of the key factors is that non-synchronous generation is connected to the electrical grid through electronic converters.…”