![]() The concept of the past several decades that production and consumption have to be equal at all times is partly changing with the increase of the share of renewables, as it increases unpredictability, according to HOPS’s Assistant Director Antun Andrić, in charge of the market department. Preparing for 100% renewable electricity system In his view, integrating small prosumers is still not cost-effective, but grouping them can help. The cost to integrate an industrial facility is currently in the range of EUR 4,000, though some newer and more digitalized locations are easier to connect, Lasić asserted. When KOER established its virtual power plant, it said it is providing the service of lowering consumption for the Croatian Transmission System Operator (HOPS) and that it would later introduce the service of increasing consumption in cases of an unforeseen rise in supply, which can also cause issues for the electric power system. Such partners are paid for the service.Īn aggregator imultaneously manages a group of distributed consumers and sources to achieve the effect of a pumped storage power plant – take and deliver energy When it comes to available capacities that can reduce electricity consumption upon demand, it is like a real power plant was activated to cover a power shortage. Unlike a classic power plant, which is a physical unit in one location, a virtual power plant simultaneously manages a group of distributed consumers and sources to achieve the effect of a classic power plant – take and deliver energy,” he stated. “A pumped storage hydropower plant can deliver energy to the system and it can take energy from the electricity system. KOER’s Director Marko Lasić compared virtual power plants with pumped storage hydropower plants. ![]() Photo: KOER Virtual power plants are like pumped storage hydropower plants The experts who spoke at the webinar agreed that with an increase in the number of small power producers, the introduction of battery systems for energy storage and penetration of electric vehicles, artificial intelligence would have an increasing role in preserving the stability of the electricity system and the optimization of surpluses.Īs virtual power plants have technical possibilities and a legal basis for the inclusion of small rooftop solar panel systems in the market, it could become a course of development and motivate households and small firms to become prosumers as well as add their batteries to the system. It is not a power plant in a physical sense, but an aggregator – specialized software enables automatized management of capacities, where it has to centralize, process and analytically display the data and enable the communication with the electricity transmission system operator. Free capacities like diesel aggregates are activated to boost production or, in the opposite case, a factory in the system can briefly stop working to reduce consumption.Īrtificial intelligence will have an increasing role in preserving the stability of the electricity system and the optimization of surpluses Its role is to help balance production and consumption. The technology enables the operator to unify available electricity sources, but also to cut power use in case the grid is overburdened, like when a sudden change in weather conditions weakens output at solar parks and wind power plants. The definition is complicated for amateurs, so the event was organized to describe the concept to the public. The participants at a webinar on virtual power plants as a new factor in the energy market presented the concept of Croatia’s first virtual power plant, opened recently by KOER, and raised the issue of the rising number of households that have rooftop solar panels as well as battery systems big and small.Ī virtual power plant is a cloud-based distributed power plant that aggregates the capacities of distributed energy sources and enables an increase in electricity generation and trading and sales of electricity. The country’s first virtual power plant, or aggregator, is now paving the way for bundling the geographically dispersed small power sources, while there will be other options for prosumers as well. The law in Croatia allows households with solar panels to group and place excess energy in the market, though technical solutions are still too expensive.
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