Analysis of Sardinia-Italy Energy Flows with Future Transmission Investments for Increasing the Integration of RES

The 2017 Italian National Energy Strategy has set ambitious targets for the production of electricity from renewable sources, envisaging reaching a 28% share of renewables in the entire energy consumption and a 55% share of renewables in electricity consumption by 2030. In Sardinia, the achievement of these goals will cause a remarkable increase in the penetration of generation from renewable energy sources compared with the current situation. Thus, investments in new transmission facilities will be necessary to increase the network power capacity of the connections with the mainland. This paper investigates the impact of renewable generation growth on the local transmission system and the current and future HVDC interconnections with the Italian peninsula. In particular, the scenario expected for 2030 is outlined by considering various options for the modernization and expansion of the Sardinian electricity system to meet the challenges of the renewable energy transition.