Energy storing vs. generation curtailment — The measures for controlling renewable generation

This paper presents a comparative analysis of energy storing and renewable generation curtailment as a measures for minimization of energy costs under defined share of renewables. Application of both measures allow to solve the issues of the night over-generation, that is one of the reason of limited capacity of grid connections for renewables. Both energy storing and generation curtailment are examined on the optimization model for allocation and sizing of renewable energy sources in distribution system, that minimize final cost of energy consumption. In order to include volatile character of generation and demand, both loads and renewables are modeled by generation profiles developed on the basis of real data. The optimization uses Mixed Integer-Linear Programming (MILP) and is solved by FICO® XPRESS optimization software. The research presented, proves that temporary curtailment of renewable generation is more economically effective than storing it, and allow for achieving targets of renewable share in energy consumption with lower final cost.