Renewable Energy Curtailment Reduction for California

Abstract

One of the major and growing problems in the electric grid is the integration of large scale Renewable Energy (RE) sources with conventional energy sources. Curtailment of RE generation is also an increasing concern in the electric power system. At present, a large amount of both wind and solar energy generation is connected to the power systems in California. This imposes new challenges in the grid and leads to curtailment of renewable energy resources. This paper presents solutions for reducing RE curtailment in California. The optimal energy management problem for minimizing RE Curtailment is formulated as a resource allocation and scheduling problem based on the actual supply-demand scenario in California in 2020. A quantitative study of the RE curtailment reduction potential in California is developed based on various existing and envisaged opportunities in the state. RE curtailment is reduced by first controlling the output of the Hydro Power Plant, then the reduced curtailed energy is exported to other grids who require power especially during peak demand intervals. The remaining curtailment energy is then stored into an Energy Storing System (ESS) typically being Battery. The curtailment reduction algorithm is developed usingMATLAB.