Capacity Value of Wind Powered Pumped Hydro Storage Virtual Power Plants

This paper aims to shed light on the capacity value (CV) of wind-powered pumped hydro storage (PHS) Virtual Power Plants (VPP). A reliability-oriented methodology to approximate VPP operation is developed and incorporated into a resource adequacy assessment model built upon the sequential Monte Carlo simulation technique. The CV of the VPP is quantified through the Equivalent Firm Capacity metric. Further, a distinction is made between the capacity value of the virtual plant and its constituents, aiming to furnish insights into the specific contribution of each component to the overall capacity-oriented performance of the VPP. Several VPP configurations with different PHS and wind farm capacities are examined, utilizing the Greek power system as a case study. Results demonstrate that such VPP establishments can effectively contribute to capacity adequacy; indicatively, a virtual plant consisting of 1 GW WF and 1 GW PHS can claim a CV of up to 90%.