Transmission Expansion for Renewable Energy Scale-Up
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connect renewable energy. New proactive transmission planning processes are emerging, which combine new open and participative process and improved analytical tools to make the connection process more time effective and in turn reduce transmission costs to both generation and demand. The chapter will first describe some of the specific planning solutions implemented in different countries to address the timely and cost-effective extension of networks for renewable energy. Second, the chapter describes new analytical tools that are increasingly useful in transmission planning for renewable energy. Finally, the chapter also presents some concepts on transmission planning in general that are required to illustrate the above concepts.
Proactive Planning Practices and New Institutional Arrangements transmission investments needs have historically been driven by the increase in electricity demand and the reliability criteria used in the planning process. Geography (topology and location) has always been a factor that greatly affects transmission. For instance, the development of large hydropower complexes in remote locations has historically required huge transmission investment needs. at the same time, the location of the primary consumption centers and fossil fuel import or production locations has always been an important driver of transmission needs. tapping into large amount of newer renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, requires bringing transmission services to multiple dispersed locations. as described in Chapter 1, tapping into these sources warrants considerable increases in the investment needs of transmission. however, as evidenced by country and regional experiences shared in this chapter, if the planning for transmission is organized to collectively and proactively address the needs of different generators, transmission costs can be reduced and the effectiveness of the process to develop the requisite transmission can be greatly improved. the following sections share examples of varying planning practices adopted by different countries/regions. Brazil
Brazil offers one of the world’s cleanest energy mixes with 85.3 percent of overall energy production derived from renewable sources, including hydropower. In the last five years, biomass, small hydropower (Sh), and wind energy have entered the renewable energy mix and significantly increased their share because of shorter construction times, the need for smaller investments, and lower overall investment risk. In fact, Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugar and ethanol. One of the most promising sites for renewables in Brazil is the Center-West region, which includes parts of the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás. as shown in the Figure 3.1, hundreds of candidate bagasse cogeneration and Sh projects are spread over 200,000 square kilometers. however, because of their dispersed and remote locations away from the existing grid, integrating these small renewables has brought some challenges to existing transmission planning and regulatory practices. From the procedural standpoint, empresa de pesquisa energética (epe)—the government planning agency—has no mandate to plan distribution level investments. By the same token, both the epe and the distribution companies in the zone where transmission services had been required, lacked the personnel capacity to plan network expansion. In certain cases, the need for transmission for the requesting renewable energy providers was greater, in terms of size and capital cost, than the current distribution