Joint EU-SysFlex and OSMOSE workshops: Interesting insights shared between them

29.06.2021Events

From the same H2020 Low Carbon Energy Call LCE04, the 2 European projects EU-SysFlex and OSMOSE both focus on improving and demonstrating flexibility and system services to address challenges arising in the European Power System with a high share of renewable energy resources.

To share and discuss their complementary insights on 3 key topics, EU-SysFlex and OSMOSE co-organised a digital workshop, divided into 3 webinars on the 15, 16 and 17 June 2021:

1. High Renewable Energy Sources scenarios: challenges for the system and insights on flexibility providers
2. ICT challenges to activate and monitor flexibilities
3. Value and demonstrations of flexibilities by Distributed Sources

Each webinar was introduced by the coordinator of Osmose, Nathalie Grisey (RTE) and the technical coordinator of EU-SysFlex, Marie-Ann Evans (EDF), and monitored and led by speakers alternating from both projects.

They attracted between 100 and 150 participants. All webinars were recorded and are available on both projects’ websites: www.eu-sysflex.com and www.osmose-h2020.eu.

 

Key messages from the 3 webinars:

1. High Renewable Energy Sources scenarios: challenges for the system and insights on flexibility solutions (Tuesday 15 June)

The first webinar of the workshop started by presenting the scenarios for the power system in 2030 and beyond, that were developed in both projects to satisfy the European Clean Energy targets, and the models and assumptions used to build the generation and networks capacities, as well as the demand-side uses, including the deployment of electric mobility and heating. Both projects introduce increasing shares of RES, relying on an increase in variable RES. Osmose project stressed out that electrification affects temporal profiles and overall electricity demand, requiring but also providing short-term flexibility. For deep decarbonization, long-term flexibility and chemical storage (Power-to-Gas) are needed. EU-SysFlex supports these messages and presented the core scenarios and their sensitivities, which allowed for analysing the impacts on the system, but also as a key inputs for dynamic modelling for stability analysis, and market modelling for economic analysis. The results of these simulations showed significant scarcities in a range of categories, which require mitigation actions through system services from a range of technologies. Some financial challenges also appear with downward trajectory of energy market prices and falling revenues. OSMOSE studied the grid forming capability of RES and batteries to mitigate stability issues, although some technical questions are still open, and regulatory work is on-going to define synchronization services and connection requirements. To conclude this webinar, results from both projects’ demos were shown. 3 Virtual Power Plants demonstrations from EU-SysFlex, with complementary set-ups in Portugal, France and Finland, presented how aggregation enables flexibility provision from joint control and operation of various assets including RES and storage. Osmose supported flexibility provision from RES, with a large wind farm and aggregation of a wind farm and battery in Italy, providing voltage regulation and synthetic inertia.

 

2. ICT challenges to activate and monitor flexibilities (Wednesday 16 June)

The second webinar was dedicated to data management and ICT challenges and opportunities to provide flexibilities. It opened with the presentation of the OSMOSE FlexEnergy Management platform and the EU-SysFlex Flexibility Platform. The first focused on real-time energy and flexibility by RES through the FEM platform integrated in 2 TSO environments. Key take-aways were cybersecurity and observability close to real-time. The second, a single market place to trade flexibility products accessible by TSOs and DSOs, identified the common data model as key for data exchange, and for the platform the interoperability and security. Then the OSMOSE demonstrator at EPFL presented the performance of grid-forming control from a large scale battery to provide Primary response, and the IT architecture to do so. The following presentation studied the metrics to specify and monitor new functions needed in the future power system. The amount of data to deal with will be increased (much more installations), the quality of data will be key as will be the location of the controls. Afterwards, the conceptual model for energy data management studied in EU-SysFlex was introduced. New data role models were developed, as well as new system use cases for data exchange. Interoperability between SGAM layers was addressed, with standardization issues (CIM profiles recommended), as well as data privacy standards. Several demonstrations proved the usability of this approach based on Data Exchange Platform. The final presentation proved the interest of the live standard communication protocol IEC 61850 to interconnect systems, supporting needed functions and protocols (e.g. protection).

 

3. Value and demonstrations of flexibilities by Distributed Sources (Thursday 17 June)

The third and last webinar of the workshop discussed the evolution of TSO-DSO coordination to access distributed flexibilities, as energy and flexibility sources are increasingly connected to lower voltage levels.

A first topic focused on the value of distributed flexibilities, with a presentation of 2030 market simulations by OSMOSE, with a modelling methodology showing that flexibility products can be competitive with network deployment, that grid limitations have to be taken into account, and that TSO/DSO integration is needed. The EU-SysFlex conclusions further insisted that TSO-DSO coordination is complex, that it impacts both network planning and operation. Both TSO-TSO and TSO-DSO coordination are crucial. Multiple flexibility mechanisms exist (tariffs, agreements, …) and need be considered in this coordination, that is necessary at all levels, from design and prequalification of products, to activation and settlement processes. Roles, responsibilities, and business process will evolve.

The second topic focused on several demonstrations from both projects, enhancing System operators’ tools and processes to support the provision of system services by resources connected to the distribution system. The Portuguese FlexHub in EU-SysFlex operates as a flexibility market facilitator of active power distributed flexibilities. The Portuguese demo in Osmose presented its Flexibility Scheduler, a tool for optimal planning between TSO&DSO, with joint multi-period optimization at the interface. The EU-SysFlex Italian demo showed the use of flexibilities connected to the MV grid for congestion management and voltage control, and the German demo completed the panel with its new processes and systems to use flexibilities in the HV distributed grid to integrate a high share of RES in a resilient, stable and efficient operated energy supply system.

The webinar ended with a round table between the various TSOs and DSOs.

The workshop was a success. It allowed for interesting discussions and sharing of methods and results. This joint event is a first for European project and will surely pave the way to more! 

 

Written by: Marie-Ann Evans, Technical Manager of the EU-SysFlex Project.

 

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