Designing a Sustainable Energy System in a Grid Congested Area: Case study Siblu's Campground 'de Oase'

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu | Master's thesis

Date

2022-06-13

Department

Major/Subject

Sustainable Energy Systems and Markets

Mcode

ELEC3048

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Advanced Energy Solutions

Language

en

Pages

66 + 14

Series

Abstract

Grid congestion is becoming a bigger problem in the Netherlands and many obstacles need to be overcome to ensure a reliable and secure electricity grid for the future. With the energy transition in motion, variable renewable energy sources are becoming a larger share of the total energy production. While this is important to decarbonize the energy sector, certain considerations must be made to ensure that this does not come at the cost of a stable electricity system. A case study for a business, Campground de Oase, was used as an example of how to design a sustainable energy system in a grid congested area where electricity could not be delivered back to the grid. A scenario analysis was carried out with different renewable energy technologies, and varying storage sizes and electricity prices. Key performance indicators with regard to financial and climate perspectives were used to determine the suitability of scenarios. General takeaways from this case study were defined to determine learnings for other businesses wanting to decarbonize their energy system while facing the challenge of grid congestion. The main takeaways include: going off-grid is infeasible if delivering back to the grid is impossible due to battery size limitations; high local production often involves high curtailment due to a mismatch between demand and supply; cooperation amongst neighboring parties might limit the level of curtailment; and flexibility and energy saving measures are advised to be implemented to ensure for greater buffering capacity and lower energy demand which ultimately enables for a more stable electricity system. Overall, grid congestion poses an obstacle but is not a barrier to decarbonizing the energy sector, and hence, the move towards locally distributed energy sources needs to be advocated for and implemented in an efficient and optimal manner depending on the specific case at hand.

Description

Supervisor

Järvinen, Mika

Thesis advisor

Suijkerbuijk, Michel
Castenmiller, Lasse

Keywords

grid congestion, grid management, renewable energy system, solar panels, swimming pool, electrical storage

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