The role of storage and flexible demand in coordinated network planning

The future increase in energy demand, coupled with the growth of renewable energy sources and the aging of grid infrastructure, poses significant challenges. To address these challenges, it is necessary to introduce more flexibility in the power system. This can be achieved using resources such as demand response and energy storage, which can reduce the need for system expansion and improve the reliability and stability of the electricity grid. This paper presents the optimization results for Italian case study of the FlexPlan project. The investment sets include new grid and flexibility investments, striking the best balance between grid expansion of the grid and flexibility. The study’s findings demonstrate that flexibility can effectively complement network reinforcement and be considered in the national network development plans.