Agenda

Integration of Renewable Energies

1 Motivation
Dr.-Ing. Philipp Kuhn
2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach

Lecture 5 3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach

Physical Integration 4 Congestion management

5 Drivers of decentralization
Centralized and decentralized integration approach
6 Future visions

7 Conclusions

1 Dr. Philipp Kuhn (TUM ED EPE ENS) | Integration of Renewable Energies 2

Agenda

How do we bring supply and demand together?

1 Motivation

2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach Temporally and locally?

3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach

4 Congestion management

5 Drivers of decentralization

6 Future visions

7 Conclusions

Density of the
installed capacity
[kW/km²]
Number of turbines / facilities in 1000
Installed capacity [MW] Source: BDEW; SMARD
Generation [GWh]

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 Agenda

Physical integration of renewable energies

1 Motivation

2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach

3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach

Local transport 4 Congestion management
balancing 5 Drivers of decentralization

6 Future visions

Temporal storage
7 Conclusions

Source: BDEW; SMARD

balancing

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Central approach – „Transport“ Map of Analogies to the concept of a liberalized electricity market
power
plants in UNBUNDLING:
Germany From generation to consumption, each step is carried out by separate companies.
• Large power plants or main areas of generation
The grid is of no importance for generators and consumers from a planning point of view, so it is assumed that
− At load centers
there are no transport restrictions.
− In resources
− At locations with high potential for renewable
energies

• Unhindered transport to the consumers

Source: Umweltbundesamt

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Integration concept – Transport Integration mechanism – balancing effects (“Smoothing effect”)
• Connection of production and consumption Empirical findings:
• Connection of locations with different types and When areas are enlarged by connecting individual regions by means of ideal grids, the relative
potentials of renewable energies fluctuations of fluctuating production are reduced.
• Use of balancing and smoothing effects
• Storage in large facilities at suitable locations
What are the reasons for this effect?
• Compensation of different weather situations
Example (left side):
ASEAN-Grid • Compensation of different times of day – solar altitude (only for very large areas)
• Balancing of different location qualities

→ A more detailed consideration of the balancing effects takes place in lecture 7

Source: GENI
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Agenda

Implementation – Super grid and large storage

Measures for implementation: 1 Motivation

• Expansion of new grid connections (national and 2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach
international)
3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach
Grid • Strengthening existing connections
expansion 4 Congestion management
• Optimized operation of existing connections
plan in
Germany • Expansion of coupling capacities to neighboring 5 Drivers of decentralization
countries
6 Future visions
• Better use of grid capacities through organizational
7 Conclusions
measures
Picture: Bundesnetzagentur

• Expansion of large storage facilities

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Decentralized approach – ”Sector coupling” Integration mechanism – Relocation

• Integration of renewable energies

decentrally "on site"
• Increased flexibility by coupling the

Source: Morten B. Blarke: SuperGrid or SmartGrid

different final energy sectors
• Use of decentralized flexibility
technologies
• Relatively small plants
• Intelligent local control of the interaction of
the units in a "Smart Grid”
Picture: Grid4EU

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Agenda

Centralized vs. decentralized –

advantages of the respective approach
1 Motivation

2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach

central decentral 3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach

4 Congestion management

• Compensation effects make it easier to get • Strategy for local decarbonisation of other 5 Drivers of decentralization
more integration final energy sectors (heat, transport) 6 Future visions
• Development of high potential renewable • Avoidance of transport infrastructure 7 Conclusions
sources (e.g. offshore wind) • Avoidance of transport costs
• Large plants with corresponding
economies of scale in efficiency and cost

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Congestion management due to transport restrictions Congestion management – Cost development in Germany

Source: Agora Energiewende (2019): A Word on Grids. How Electricity Grids can help
Congestion management
“Congestion management includes all measures that a grid operator can use to avoid or eliminate line
congestion caused by grid bottlenecks in his grid".
(translated from: Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency))

Redispatch:
Redispatch is an intervention in the generation capacity of power plants to avoid grid bottlenecks. If a bottleneck
threatens at a certain point in the grid, power plants on this side of the bottleneck are instructed to throttle their
feed-in, while plants on the other side of the bottleneck must increase their feed-in capacity. The bottleneck is
thus counteracted.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur
Congestion management:
Congestion management describes the temporary shutdown of renewables or CHP plants if the measures of
redispatch with conventional power plants are not sufficient.

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Agenda

Power generation from wind and sun

PV density
Non existing
low

Source: dena – Verteilnetzstudie; AGORA - Energiewende und Dezentralität

Average
1 Motivation High Physical driver
Very high
Extremely high

2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach

• Fossil and nuclear generation was characterized
3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach by high or very high energy densities, which led to
a concentration (central)
4 Congestion management
• Transformation to renewable energies leads in
5 Drivers of decentralization
principle in almost all forms to the use of solar
6 Future visions energy with correspondingly low energy density
and high space requirements
7 Conclusions
• Energy is "collected" area-wide
• Production therefore often small-scale with a high
number of plants

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New technologies and applications Digitization
Driver demand side Driver Digitization
• Electricity as a new universal energy source to
achieve climate targets • Progress in information and communication
• New applications such as electric vehicles, heat technology
pumps and storage systems • Fast data connections

Source: AGORA - Energiewende und Dezentralität

Source: AGORA - Energiewende und Dezentralität

• Small-scale structure of the applications • High data volumes
• Regionalization of consumption (e.g. charging • Digital infrastructure enables real-time
infrastructure) communication between a multitude of actors
• Potential to reduce transaction costs
• High information demand for system management,
market development and accounting
Picture: Volkswagen

Bild: BMWi

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Agenda

Vision – „Super-Smart-Grid“
1 Motivation What is the future?
2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach
• From the perspective of an optimal overall
3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach system, both approaches have advantages and
disadvantages
4 Congestion management

Source: Morten B. Blarke: SuperGrid or SmartGrid

• A multitude of parameters in the concrete
5 Drivers of decentralization
subsystem favor one or the other approach
6 Future visions • Current policies and regulatory frameworks
7 Conclusions
provide better starting conditions for central
approaches
• Overall, however, a combination of both
approaches - a "Super Smart Grid" - represents
the most efficient structure for an energy system
based on renewable energies
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 Agenda

Centralized and decentralized approach - conclusion

1 Motivation • The challenge of the physical integration of renewable energies has a local and a temporal
2 Concept "Copper plate" - Central approach component.

3 Concept "Sector coupling" - Decentral approach

• Two conceptual approaches are available for the integration, the centralized and the decentralized
approach.
4 Congestion management
• The centralized approach is based on energy transport and benefits from the development of
5 Drivers of decentralization optimal locations for RE, from balancing effects and economies of scale due to the comparatively
6 Future visions large plants used.
7 Conclusions • The decentralized approach benefits from avoided grid expansion and the necessary sector
coupling for decarbonization of all final energy sectors.
• Current drivers reinforce the trend towards decentralization.
• A combination of the two approaches - a "super-smart grid" - represents the most efficient
structure for an energy system based on renewable energies from a system perspective.
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