Regional Virtual Workshop On Grid Integration of Variable Renewable Energy

IRENA in collaboration with Regional Operating Entity (EOR) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has been joining efforts in developing a capacity building programme in Central America for grid operators in the region. As part of this programme, a new session was held in Spanish, directed at national power system operators, regulators and professionals engaged in the planning exercises of the countries, aiming to understand different important aspects for the operation and management of VRE sources as part of the power system.

As part of the capacity building programme on integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) sources to the grid, part of the Clean Energy Corridor of Central America (CECCA) initiative, IRENA, GIZ and EOR co-organised a new virtual session held in Spanish and expanded to include participants from the Latin American region, promoting sharing of insights and lessons learnt in incorporating VRE in power systems, technical cooperation, and showcasing the regional Central American market.

Building on the previous work undertaken in the last grid integration workshop in El Salvador in 2019, this training gathered regional and national power system stakeholders in Latin America and focused on the following topics: Operation of power systems with high shares of VRE;  Enabling technologies:  Emerging trends; Grid connection codes and Grid compliance study; Recommendations to overcome technical constraints and challenges from VRE; Innovative Solutions to integrate higher shares of  VRE.

Agenda

Opening Session: Collaborative framework and summary of the work carried out in Latin America

• Renewable Energy Roadmap (REmap) and IRENA’s FlexTool, case study for regional study in Central America, Ricardo Gorini, Senior Programme Officer-Renewable Energy Roadmaps & Emanuele Taibi, Analyst, Power Sector Transformation Strategies, IRENA
• GIZ 4E Programme for Central America, Rigoberto Salazar, Coordinator for El Salvador and Guatemala, GIZ.

Session 1: Country experiences, best practices and future expansion plans in the region with variable renewable energies (VRE)

• Honduras: Jorge Núñez, Planning manager, System Operator
• Central America:  Christian Muñoz, Coordinator for System Planning, Regional Operating Entity (EOR)
• Uruguay: Virginia Echinope, Director Electricity, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay.

Session 2: Operation of power systems with high rates of variable renewable energy

• The role of integrating renewable energy for the decarbonization of the en use sectors, Roland Roesch, Deputy Director, IRENA Innovation and Technology Center (IITC), IRENA
• Challenges and technical limitations when operating with high percentages of variable renewable energy, Laura Casado, Associate Professional, Grid Integration, IRENA.

Session 3: Enabling Technologies – Emerging Trends

• The role of power system flexibility, the analysis and the role of energy storage systems and the demand side perspective of flexibility and industry coupling, Emanuele Taibi, Analyst, Power Sector Transformation Strategies & Carlos Fernández, Associate Professional, Power System Flexibility, IRENA

Session 4: Grid codes

• The impact, development, required studies, application and requirements of grid codes, compliance with grid codes - good practices and examples, and recommendations for the study of the grid in islands, Francisco Boshell, Analyst, RE Technology Standards and Markets; Arina Anisie, Associate Programme Officer, Renewable Energy Innovation & Gayathri Nair, Associate Programme Officer, Renewable Energy Grid Integration, IRENA.

Session 5: Operation of power systems with high rates of variable renewable energy II

• Recommendations to overcome technical restrictions and network stability assessment case studies, Laura Casado, Associate Professional, Grid Integration & Gayathri Nair, Associate Programme Officer, Renewable Energy Grid Integration, IRENA.

Session 6: Innovative solutions to integrate a higher percentage of VRE

• Digitization and decentralization of energy systems, examples of solutions from international experience and the eight-step innovation plan, Arina Anisie, Associate Programme Officer, Renewable Energy Innovation & Elena Ocenic, Associate Programme Officer, Innovation Networks, IRENA