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.
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