Strategic Power Systems Development for the Future

Objectives

The main objective of PowDev is to evaluate and optimize the resilience of power systems in the context of a massive insertion of renewable energies (PSMRE), within a comprehensive and integrated framework by considering extreme events in present and future climates, complexity of the power grid, and socio-economic scenarios.

The first objective is to simulate, characterize and analyze the scenario of a blackout in the case of a PSMRE. The second objective is to propose a quantitative and systemic framework to optimize the resilience of a PSMRE.

Approach

In order to structure the overall approach and engage all partners toward the project deliverables, it was decided early on that the four work packages should contribute to the development of a shared use case that must integrate, over a given part of the french territory: the modelling of climate hazards and the impacts of climate change; the modelling of the electricity system (transmission, consumption, and production); the modelling of socio-economic dynamics affecting and affected by PSMRE; and the modelling and optimization of decision rules enabling the design and operation of resilient PSMRE.

Results

After 2.5 years, the use case is built at the national scale regarding climate change, electricity system and optimisation of restauration strategies. More local models are developed for socio-economics dynamics and design optimisation (regional scale). We are now ready to built a repository to store all the models and make them available for any users and for stakeholders.

Main challenges

The main difficulty was to make people with very diverse culture working together , understanding each others and identify problems to solve. Monthly workshops were planned during the two first years and some lectures were given by each partners and by RTE.