Montreux

Storage workshop

Today it is broadly accepted that the share of renewable energy sources in the European power grid is going to increase substantially and will reach very high percentages in the future production mix. Expansion of storage capacities is often considered pivotal to allow for this “renewable revolution”!

However, many questions remain: What is the incremental need for storage capacities in the next decades? Which technologies are most suited to meet the expected need, and which innovation is coming into the sector? Similarly, what is the role of transmission and demand-side management to reduce storage needs? And finally, what are the political, technical and market design challenges of integrating storage capacities in the grid?

The workshop was hosted by Swissgrid and the SGN Swiss Association for Grid Infrastructure Research.

As a special feature, participants had the opportunity to visit the power station of the Grande Dixence dam, the highest gravity dam in the world on Wednesday, 26 January 2011, in the afternoon. A RGI Dinner followed near Montreux to give participants an exclusive opportunity for informal talks and networking before the workshop.

Agenda

Wednesday 26 January 2011

15:00 Visit of the Grande Dixence power station in Bieudron

19:00 RGI Fondue Dinner at Restaurant Plan Cerisier in Martigny-Croix
Welcome by Pierre-Alain Graf | Swissgrid

Thursday 27 January 2011

08:30 Registration and Coffee

08:45 Welcome
Thomas Tillwicks | Swissgrid and Prof. Göran Andersson | ETH Zurich | Presentation

PART I Today’s Situation: Hydro Storage

09:15 Applications and benefits of storage
Loukianos Zavolas | Renewables Grid Initiative Presentation

09:30 Today’s storage: pumped water storage
Prof. François Avellan | EPF Lausanne Presentation

09:50 Requirements to market design for an efficient use of hydropower reservoirs
Kristin Munthe | Statnett Presentation

10:40 Coffee break

PART II Alternative Approaches for Electricity Storage

11:10 Storage vs. transmission and demand management
Stephen Benians | RAP Regulatory Assistance Project Presentation

11:30 Influence of smart technology on storage strategies
Stephen Clifford | ABB Presentation

11:50 Availability, maturity and potential of other storage media
Theo Bosma | KEMA Presentation

12:45 System trainer: support to decision-making strategy in grid expansion
Hans-Jörg Dorny | 50Hertz Presentation

13:00 Lunch break

PART III Challenges of Integrating Storage Technologies

14:15 Political perspective
Swiss Federal Office of Energy 

14:45 Technical complexity
Martin Geidl | Swissgrid

15:15 Electricity storage and system flexibility, a TSO view
Alan Croes | TenneT 

16:00 Wrap up and Get together

17:00 End

Material

Photo gallery

Contact

Theresa Schneider
Senior Manager–Communication

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t: +49 30 7677194 55
theresa@renewables-grid.eu

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.