News & events

2016-08-29

Litgrid aims to optimize renewable energy management

In 2015, renewable energy made up 16% of all electricity generated in the country. Renewable energy generators are connected to the electricity system through high and medium voltage power networks. The extent of integration of renewable energy sources depends on the grid’s capacity to connect new generators and the availability of power reserve. The purchase, administration and balancing of electricity generated by renewable energy sources as well as the management of other system services is shared by various institutions. The Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid says that a modern centralized management of renewable energy would be more effective and provide added value to power consumers.
 
Litgrid’s specialists in cooperation with the analysts of the consultancy company Civitta will seek ways to optimize the integration and management of renewable energy and offer new services for market players.
 
“Renewable power sources like wind and solar are unreliable, although predictable to some extent. When wind and solar power is abundant it is given priority to the grid and is first to be consumed. Efforts are being made across the world to look for ways how to effectively collect, maintain and use electricity when it is most needed. If we find a suitable model for the administration of electricity generated from renewable sources and apply modern energy storage systems ensuring the flexible use of collected energy, the grid’s capacities to integrate renewable energy sources could be used in a more rational way and with the minimum   resources,” said Litgrid’s CEO Daivis Virbickas.
 
Different European countries use different renewable energy management models. In Spain all renewable power is managed and administrated in a centralized way to ensure the supply of power balancing and other modern system services. Germany, like many other countries, uses a few systems for the administration of renewable energy sources. A feasibility study, which will be carried out until November, will be looking into different models that are being applied, assess their social impact as well as economic benefit and determine the opportunities and risks of choosing one or another of available alternatives. 
 
“I am convinced that choosing an optimal model for the management of renewable energy will enable us to reduce expenses for consumers and market players and help to optimize the administration of generators using renewable energy sources, manage the available balancing resources in a more rational way, create and offer new services such as flexibility options for electricity balancing. This development is aimed at making the most of renewable energy to improve people’s life,” pointed out Virbickas.