BESS applications in microgrids: the Azores Islands use case

The integration of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in microgrids provides an enabler for generation decarbonization, through the maximization of renewable share and thus the reduction of fossil fuels consumption. Additionally, the integration of BESS helps providing the stability required to face the challenges of energy transition, intermittency of distributed renewable resources and electrification, through its capability of improving grid resilience and safety, responding to system outages and preventing blackouts. EDA - Electricidade dos Açores, the system operator of Azores archipelago, wanted to assess the technical and economic viability of integrating BESS in their systems. Siemens Power Technologies International (PTI) developed a design methodology with the objective of assessing the feasibility of this integration. The main BESS applications considered are spinning reserve replacement, primary voltage and frequency regulation and promoting the integration of renewables. To achieve an optimal sizing for the BESS, the developed methodology resorted to several different planning and simulation software, for techno-economic analysis; short-circuit and protection evaluation and dynamic stability studies. This paper presents each step of the design solution, outlining considerations made for each modelling software.