Assessment of the Impact of Renewable Energy Sources and Clean Coal Technologies on the Stability of Energy Systems in Poland and Sweden

Abstract

Implementing the provisions related to energy transition, decarbonization, and, thus, the implementation of the Green Deal in the European Union requires increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the energy generation mix. On the one hand, this approach enables the acquisition of clean energy, but, on the other hand, it can affect the stability of energy supply to consumers in terms of the time and quantity required. Therefore, in the presented research, the authors proposed and verified the following thesis: Innovative coal technologies can play a temporary but crucial role in building the stability of the energy system by developing an operational stability index for the energy system in Poland. To this end, they determined the energy system stability index (ESSI) level, verified its variability over time, and simulated changes in the index when clean coal technology was used. The proposed method is highly universal and can be applied to any country, and the program written specifically for this research fully automates the ESSI calculation process. It is an excellent tool for facilitating decision making and enables the creation of simulations and scenarios of the impact of potential energy development strategies on its operational stability. The set of indicators developed by the authors characterizes the operational stability of the energy system according to the four-dimensional energy security paradigm. This allows for the consideration of the entire spectrum of operational and structural indicators when analysing the stability of the energy system. The developed ESSI allows for the assessment of the system’s stability in a technical sense, but also its adaptability, power and energy balancing, and, ultimately, its independence.