Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FLEXITRANSTORE (An Integrated Platform for Incresed FLEXIbility in smart TRANSmission grids with STORage Entities and large penetration of Renewable Energy Sources)

Teaser

FLEXITRANSTORE (An Integrated Platform for Increased FLEXIbility in smart TRANSmission grids with STORage Entities and large penetration of Renewable Energy Sources) aims to contribute to the evolution towards a pan-European transmission network with high flexibility and high...

Summary

FLEXITRANSTORE (An Integrated Platform for Increased FLEXIbility in smart TRANSmission grids with STORage Entities and large penetration of Renewable Energy Sources) aims to contribute to the evolution towards a pan-European transmission network with high flexibility and high interconnection levels. This will facilitate the transformation of the current energy production mix by hosting an increasing share of renewable energy sources. Novel smart grid technologies, control and storage methods and new market approaches will be developed, installed, demonstrated and tested introducing flexibility to the European power system.
FLEXITRANSTORE will promote increased cross-border electricity flows using the valorisation of flexibility services. The project takes both a national and a regional approach, acknowledging the need to seamlessly integrate national markets, particularly in the South Eastern European network, which still lacks the high interconnectivity that the rest of the European network has.
Following the current trends and EU regulations FLEXITRANSTORE has identified two main strategic objectives:
•To enhance and accelerate the integration of renewables into European Energy systems.
•To increase cross-border electricity flows across Europe.
The main outcome of the project will be a set of tools aimed to aid operations of TSOs, to assess the flexibility state of the grids and to incorporate components, techniques, business models and technologies that will facilitate the incorporation of increased flexibility. The tools have a broad timeframe, ranging from tools targeting the Day-Ahead scheduling and balancing frame, to tools for strategic planning of the future grid, having always as an end-goal the increased RES penetration and flexibility. Moreover, novel business models will be developed, in order to pave the way towards a pan-European energy market, which will include remuneration of flexibility services. All these tools will be incorporated into a common platform, with a unified architecture, namely the Flexible Energy Grid (FEG) Platform, which is expected to constitute the technical and operational basis to support the valorisation of flexibility services in the European Energy Market.

Work performed

\"During the first 18 months of the project the following achievements can be reported:
• Addressed the ethical issues and requirements of the project and outlined the project approach on the procedures to be implemented for data collection, the participation of non-EU countries, the involvement of human beings in the research and the safety procedures that will be followed.
• Performed the requirement analysis on the major flexibility challenges in the SEE region.
• Performed a survey on grid flexibility among major stakeholders of the electricity value chain and academics
• The reference architecture of the three-stage methodology to integrate innovation technology into flexibility studies has been finalised. An initial flexibility assessment of the SEE region countries Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece has been carried out, based on the FAST method general principles introduced by the International Energy Agency.
• Regulatory gaps and impacts relating to flexibility were identified, and a basic techno-economic assessment for flexible services was performed.
• The impact of regulatory changes, market design changes was analysed as well as emerging business models for flexibility.
• The project analysed the design space for wholesale markets and emerging market design frameworks and it proposed a framework for adoption by the project within the FEG platform
• The algorithms and the various technologies for the different demonstrators of the project were developed.
• An exhaustive analysis of the demonstrators’ requirements was performed and the first detailed conceptual Architecture of the FEG platform was designed.
• The design, analysis and the detailed engineering phases for each one of the demonstrators has been finalized.
• The Power Flow Controllers of WP8 are already installed in a substation in Greece and the first trials have started.
• The DLR sensors of WP7 have already been installed on power lines in Slovenia and Bulgaria and the whole system is operational.
• The HIL simulation lab of WP10 has been set up in Seville and is operational.
• Prepared and/or participated in communication and awareness raising activities promoting the project and its results in web, social and physical means:
o The project logo, flyer, poster, general presentation, website and social networking sites on LinkedIn and Twitter, all of which are
continuously updated with progress and achievements.
o Project presence in partners’ websites.
o Scientific Publications
o Participation to events at national and European level (conferences, events, workshops, EU clustering Events)
o Organization of a Webinar: “Towards a flexible European electricity system – business models, markets and regulation\"\".
• Identified target markets and customers and exploitable results both as a whole service and as discrete exploitable outcomes.
• Timely and appropriate trouble-shooting, immediate reaction to problems and misunderstandings and adequate use of all project resources by the project and technical management.
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Final results

FLEXITRANSTORE will contribute to the evolution towards a smart pan-European transmission network with high flexibility and high interconnection levels to host an increasing share of renewable energy, through the demonstration of smart grid technologies, storage and new approaches to the wholesale market and system operation. The project takes both a national and regional approach acknowledging the need to seamlessly integrate national markets, particularly in the SEE region. The project, as part of its scope to enhance grid flexibility, will contribute to solutions to relieving internal congestion issues, via e.g. market based demand response mechanisms and the integration of storage, among other problems that are currently being faced. In summary:
a. The Power Flow Controller that was installed in Megalopolis’ Extra High Voltage substation will help solve congestion problems in the transmission network.
b. The DLR technology also increases power flows and allows redistribution of active power flows, so decreasing significantly the needed investments in the HV grid that need to be done with further penetration of RES.
c. The wind storage integration in Aisimi High Voltage substation will provide ancillary services to the grid while smoothing its volatile output. Thus, the integration of Variable Renewable Energy Sources will be supported.
d. WP5 and WP9 are dealing with the installation of a battery and the development of an enhanced electricity market in Cyprus. The activities of both WPs are in line with the EU energy policy context
e.The combined work of WP3 (enhanced market design) and WP4 (FEG platform) has defined use cases and functionality for the FEG platform that will support an enhanced market for flexibility.
Innovations in FLEXITRANSTORE will replace conventional, time-consuming and capital intensive grid reinforcements such as OHLs, substations with higher ratings, reconductoring, etc.; thus, these innovations limit the network charges in the electricity bills for the end consumers. Furthermore, they promote RES integration and market coupling thus reduce even more the cost of electricity.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.flexitranstore.eu.