A Method for Reducing Fluctuations in Total Power Generated by RES Plants in Localized Power Systems

In recent years, the total installed capacity of commissioned wind power plants (WPPs) and photovoltaic plants (PVPs) has exceeded that of all other types of power plants. The intermittency of primary energy resources determines the stochastic nature of wind and solar power output, complicating the management of localized power systems. Steam turbine plants in conventional thermal power plants (TPPs) lack the necessary operational flexibility to compensate for fluctuations in operating parameters, which are caused by the integration of WPPs and PVPs. Localized power systems, however, offer opportunities for constructing other types of power plants based on firm renewable energy sources (RES), enabling real-time operational management. These include small-scale hydropower plants (SHPPs), bio-thermal power plants (bioTPPs), waste-to-energy (WtE) plants, and others utilizing local energy resources. The paper proposes a method to reduce fluctuations in total power of firm RES plants in order to enhance the stability and management of localized power systems with a high penetration of WPPs and PVPs. The method is based on the coordinated power control of all firm RES plants and energy storage systems (ESS) integrated within WPPs and PVPs. This approach enables conventional TPPs to adhere to the dispatch load curve, mitigating the requirements for the flexibility of their generating equipment, the transfer capability of intersystem power transmission lines, and the power and energy capacity of the ESS.