Hydropower Operation in Future Power Grid with Various Renewable Power Integration

Thushara De Silva, Jennie Jorgenson, Jordan Macknick, Nicholas Keohan, Ariel Miara, Henriette Jager, Brenda Pracheil

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus Citations

Abstract

Hydropower generation may play an increasingly important role in the power grid under increasing contribution of variable renewable sources such as wind and solar. An improved understanding of the changes to hydropower dispatch under future higher VRE grid conditions reveals research gap that should be informed power grid planning and reservoir water releases policies considering multiple other water uses and varying hydrologic condition. This study aims to understand the role of hydropower in a changing power grid by employing a production cost model, PLEXOS, across future power system scenarios, planning horizons, and regions. We explore optimized hydropower dispatch to understand its potential role in minimizing the system cost and renewable curtailment. We also examine the sensitivity of hydropower revenue under various grid scenarios of the Eastern U.S. and hydrology conditions. Results indicate hydropower generation follows net load and compensates for the variability of solar and wind generation. Although energy prices are lower during some periods in the future grid scenarios, there is a potential for higher revenue for hydropower by providing both energy and ancillary services during times of stress. Further, hydropower revenue is sensitive to hydrology in the SERC region, which we considered as an example. The feasibility of hydropower dispatching with higher ramps between low and high hourly-capacity factors, as indicated in the optimization model, requires further study to consider other water use and ecology constraints.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)329-339
Number of pages11
JournalRenewable Energy Focus
Volume43
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/JA-6A40-82921

Keywords

  • high renewable
  • hydrologic
  • hydropower
  • PLEXOS
  • power grid
  • production cost model

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