Improved integration of European renewables using dynamic line rating in Switzerland

Across the interconnected European power system the penetration of non-dispatchable renewables is increasing. In order to utilise better the existing transmission infrastructure, the use of dynamic line rating is assessed, as an approach to increase Switzerland's cross-border capacities. The assessment is made with the use of a novel, high spatial and temporal resolution power flow simulation of the European power system in which all individual transmission lines are geo-referenced and the weather is simulated with a mesoscale model. It is shown that dynamic line rating yields access to an additional 12% of transmission capacity in 2030 for Switzerland's cross-border interconnections compared to the use of static line rating. Further, the mean annual line loading is reduced by 24% with the use of dynamic line rating.