Maximizing Wind Generated Electricity with Hydro Storage: Case Study Crete

A vital problem encountered in Greek islands within the Aegean Archipelago is insufficient electricity generation. Wind generated electricity appears to be a fiscally viable solution, as the area has excellent wind potential. Yet despite the technological improvement, the penetration of substantial wind power to autonomous electrical grids is still limited, mainly due to existing technical barriers. One of the most interesting autonomous electrical network cases is the island of Crete. Here, with an excellent wind potential, about 180 wind turbines of 120 MW total installed rated-capacity are in operation or under construction. However, even in this relatively strong electrical system, grid instability and mismatching of supply and demand have led to significant wind energy rejection. This “spilt” wind power corresponds to an annual financial loss of income of 30,000 € per MW of wind power installed. The present study seeks an integrated methodology with pumped-hydro storage for maximizing the contribution of wind energy in the Crete electricity supply. In addition, the objective is to improve grid stability. An analysis of the wind-hydro electricity production cost is presented and compared with the corresponding operational cost of the existing thermal power plants.

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