Unit Commitment Framework to Assess Flexibility Resource Capability for High RE Penetration

Increasing the share of intermittent renewable energy (RE) will challenge the capability of existing power systems to cope with increased variability in net load. This may result in frequent RE and load curtailment in the absence of adequate flexibility. To maximize RE utilization and maintain supply reliability, system flexibility must be enhanced. However, the capability of various flexibility resources to facilitate RE penetration needs to be assessed for optimal system planning. Further, to capture the impact of RE's seasonal variability, a longterm assessment of chronological short-term system operations is required. In this context, this paper proposes a computational framework of the yearly unit commitment model. An attempt has been made to maximize RE penetration at different integration levels by increasing operational flexibility and energy storage integration. Results from various cases examined on the IEEE RTS 24-bus system show that although enhanced operational flexibility is a viable solution for smooth RE integration, a high RE share would require alternative capital-intensive solutions.