Inertia Requirements Assessment for the Italian Transmission Network in the Future Network Scenario

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are replacing conventional Synchronous Generators (SGs) in the Italian generation scenario, thus leading to a decrease of the electric system inertia and to possible problems of inertia shortage. This paper provides a method for the estimation of the inertia that will be required to be installed in the Italian Grid in the 2030 year with the aim of limiting the Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) within the desired interval. Four technologies are considered for the provision of additional inertia: Photovoltaic (PV) systems, Wind Turbine (WT) plants, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) and Synchronous Compensators (SCs). The proposed method provides also the optimal mix among the aforementioned technologies according to a techno-economic indicator. The 2030 scenario has been characterized thanks to the data provided by Terna S.p.A, the Italian Transmission System Operator (TSO).