Utilising Distributed Flexibilities in the European Transmission Grid

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the effect of distributed flexibilities on the operation of the transmission grid. The flexibilities considered are heat pumps, electric vehicles, battery energy storage systems and flexible renewable generation. For this purpose, we develop a two-stage approach of first determining an optimal electricity market solution considering the optimal dispatch of each generation element and flexibility. In the second step we determine the required dispatch adjustments due to transmission grid constraints and investigate the effect of integrating battery energy storage systems into the adjustable generators to solve congestions. In our case study, we investigate the central European transmission grid for a scenario based on the Distributed Generation scenario of the Ten-Year Network Development Plan for the year 2030. Integrating distributed flexibilities leads to a strong increase in the security of supply, while the overall effect on the generation adjustment is small. A comparison of the results for an AC and DC formulation shows that both approaches differ significantly in individual cases.