Pillar 2 - System Flexibility and Market Design

Pillar Lead: Mattia Cabiati (View more: Green Powered Future Mission (mi-gpfm.org))

Introduction: Led by Italy, this pillar is devoted to  the enhancement of system flexibility, developing the needed solutions whilst considering relevant market and regulatory implications. As VRE shares increase, systems  further electrify, and dispatchable fossil fuel plants  are retired; the ability of the system to provide the needed flexibility is challenged, as reported by several analysis such as by IRENA. To overcome this, the Mission’s R&D activities will identify, develop, and validate innovative solutions to address technical and non-technical barriers, to reach the following tipping points: 

• TP2.1 – Short-term flexibility adequacy for system stability through fast reserve, frequency response, voltage regulation and inertia services (full activation within 1 second and lasting for less than 15 minutes) to cope with the short-term VRE variability and sudden large imbalances caused by contingencies. 

• TP2.2 – Power system mid-term flexibility to cope with the natural variability of VRE and load/supply forecast errors and grid congestion criticalities from minutes to several hours. 

• TP2.3 – Long-term flexibility to deal with low wind and solar energy availability lasting several days and involving a vast geographical area, coping with VRE seasonal variability.

R&I Themes:

Innvovation Priorities: