Comprehensive Overview of Power System Flexibility during the Scenario of High Penetration of Renewable Energy in Utility Grid

Abstract

Increased deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) has posed significant challenges to ensure reliable power system operations. As VRE penetration increases beyond 80%, the power system will require long duration energy storage and flexibility. Detailed uncertainty analysis, identifying challenges, and opportunities to provide sufficient flexibility will help to achieve smooth operations of power system networks during the scenario of high share of VRE sources. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive overview of the power system flexibility (PSF). The intention of this review is to provide a wide spectrum of power system flexibility, PSF drivers, PSF resources, PSF provisions, methods used for assessment of flexibility and flexibility planning to the researchers, academicians, power system planners, and engineers working on the integration of VRE into the utility grid to achieve high share of these sources. More than 100 research papers on the basic concepts of PSF, drivers of the PSF, resources of PSF, requirement of the PSF, metrics used for assessment of the flexibility, methods and approaches used for measurement of flexibility level in network of the power system, and methods used for the PSF planning and flexibility provisions have been thoroughly reviewed and classified for quick reference considering different dimensions.