Optimal Storage Allocation for Transmission Network Development Planning: Study Case of Sicily

The efforts toward a sustainable society require the increasing adoption of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) at all levels of the power grid. Installation of energy storage systems is a key intervention for managing the new security and environmental needs brought by the RESs volatility. This is especially important for transmission networks prone to congestion issues, with critical links between portions of the grid and with a very high capacity of renewable generation, such as the transmission network of Sicily (Italy). This work uses a probabilistic planning methodology for the optimal allocation and sizing of storage systems, previously developed and applied to a real distribution network, also accounting for reactive regulation of voltage by distributed energy resources. The application is implemented in MATLAB/GAMS environment assuming a new wind offshore farm connected to the reinforced grid according to intervention foreseen by the Italian transmission system operator. The result shows the feasibility of application of the methodology to a transmission network, and can be a robust tool for the allocation and sizing of energy storage systems in the considered scenario.