UFZ EnergyDays 2016 - Session C1

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High shares of volatile renewables in the electricity mix:

How to activate flexibility options in the power supply system?


This session is an IP-internal working session. However, guests are welcome.



Coordinator and chairperson: Klaas Korte


Abstract:

In the frame of the ‘Energiewende’ the share of volatile renewables such as wind and solar power is expected to become dominating in the German electricity mix in the future. However, power demand seems to be not flexible enough to cope with future supply fluctuations, at least in the short run, be it for technical or economic reasons. Hence, there is need for other flexibility options to be applied to keep the power grid stable. One technical solution for this could be power storage which is still a very costly option. Another solution is to make power supply “system friendlier”, that is to design the feed-in pattern in such a way it matches better with demand.
Besides technological options such as the more flexible employment of biomass and biogas plants, the spatial distribution of volatile generation units offers potential for the variation of feed-in. To what extent these different options are employed depends in great measure on the governance framework, e.g., the remuneration scheme for renewables or the general power market design. In summer 2015 the German government published a “white paper” for the future electricity market design presenting concrete measures for adjusting the electricity market. The white paper clearly favours a market approach for incentivising flexibility and securing supply in the future. Eventually, security of supply is just one goal of energy policy and, thus, support of demand orientation of supply needs to be in line with the other objectives, in particular with the goal of an environmentally sound energy supply.
The aim of this session is to discuss what options are available for higher demand orientation of renewable electricity generation, if and how they are compatible with other energy policy objectives and what implications can be derived for the design of the government framework. Particularly, the question arises whether the white paper points towards the right direction and if additional measures need to be applied.


Programme (Please note: The session language is German!)

16:30 - 16:40 Welcome and introduction
Klaas Korte
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
16:40 - 17:05 Bioenergy as a controllable renewable technology: Options for and potentials of making generation from biomass plants more adaptable

  • Short presentation:
Martin Dotzauer
Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum - DBFZ

  • Plenary discussion
17:05 - 17:45 More flexibility through spatial allocation of weather-dependent generation units

  • Short presentations:
Potential and barriers of spatial allocation as a means for demand orientation of volatile renewables: The example of wind power
Philip Tafarte1,2, Marcus Eichhorn1,2
1 Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum - DBFZ
2 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

Agglomeration vs. widespread allocation of generation units: Environmental impacts of energy infrastructures
Henning Nolzen1, Jule Schulze1
1 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
 

  • Plenary discussion
17:45 - 18:10 How to activate flexibility options of renewable energies: Market integration as a starting point?

  • Short presentation:
Alexandra Purkus
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

  • Plenary discussion
18:10 - 18:30 What are interesting and promising aspects of feed-in flexibility for further synthesis activities within the IP EnergyLandUse?

  • Concluding plenary discussion