GRIDSOL: Smart Renewable Hubs for flexible generation

“Smart Renewable Hubs” combine primary Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and storage technologies under an advanced control system that dispatches the electricity on a single output according to the availability and cost-effectiveness of each technology.

 

Highlights

• Takes into account the local specificities in deciding which technologies work best to optimise power generation
• Evaluation of Smart Renewable Hubs to find optimal size
• Development of a Dynamic Output Manager of Energy (DOME) for flexible hybrid plants
• Helps long-term investment decision-making towards a sustainable energy transition

 

About the practice

The transition to energy generation from renewable sources requires finding an equilibrium between grid stability, security of supply and cost of generation. This often depends on local factors such as demand profiles, the availability of renewable resources and local infrastructure. The practice offers an optimisation tool that sizes each plant at each location and manages energy production according to grid and market requirements.

It does so by modelling non-dispatchable RES and the synchronous generation in smart renewable hubs and using a Dynamic Output Manager of Energy (DOME) for different configurations. What is new about the practice is that it doesn’t prescribe the technologies used. Rather, it aims to select the best choice in each case according to a multi-criteria decision-making approach.

Furthermore, the practice enables the development of sustainable roadmaps to assist decision-makers in investment planning as the requirement for flexibility increases. By helping to find the optimal size for Smart Renewable Hubs, the practice can support the substitution of conventional power plants. It looks at each individual location to select and combine the most suitable technologies and is therefore fully transferable to other geographical regions.

 

Find out more

The practice is coordinated by the COBRA Group, with nine project partners from industry, utilities, research centres and energy consultancies. It has been running since 2016 and will finish its implementation phase in 2019.