Assessing the Impact of Renewable Energy Integration on the Grid: A Case Study of Ghana

Grid integration of Renewable energy sources (RES) is gaining significant traction due to their capacity to produce electricity at a lower cost and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions like CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf>, SO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</inf>, and NO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</inf>. However, the unpredictability and variability of these generation sources pose challenges to grid operators in maintaining the generation demand balance. This necessitates an adequate balancing capacity from traditional sources to maintain grid reliability and security. In this context, the given study proposed a production cost simulation using the Multi Area Production Cost Simulation software of General Electric (MAPS<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">TM</sup>) to analyze the impact of RES. The country level grid of Ghana is considered for the purpose of study and analysis for the years 2018 and 2030. The simulation is carried out based on anticipated generation capacity mix, load projections, and renewable generation profiles to evaluate the variation in total cost of generation, CO<inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> emissions, fuel consumed, and average spot price.