Electricity Production from Renewables Energies

6.5 Perspectives for better integration into the networks

To significantly increase the penetration level of the decentralized production units based on renewable energies in the future, three types of evolution will be required. They involve several actions at:

– the source level;

– the network level;

– the consumer level.

The actions between these various system components will require a certain degree of coordination, raising the question of the degree of decentralization that is indeed desirable or acceptable, and the necessity of a communication system between these components. These issues are not purely technological, but include economical and sociological aspects.

6.5.1. Actions at the source level

It will be possible to increase the penetration level of the decentralized production units if this type of source:

– takes part in network management (ancillary services, dispatchability);

– can operate during islanding;

– has an increased and reliable availability, despite the less significant predictability of the primary energy source, when it concerns wind and photovoltaic power renewable energies.

These objectives can be reached by:

– using the possibilities offered by power electronics;

– developing new strategies of control and supervision;

– imagining adapted structures for decentralized production;

– developing and/or exploiting energy storing possibilities in the short and long term (there are already hydraulic pumping energy storage stations, but their use is not ...