IRENA – Energy Community Joint Workshop on Grid Integration of Variable Renewable Energy Sources

Vienna, Austria

Organised within the framework of IRENA’s Regional Initiative in South East Europe and co-hosted by the Energy Community Secretariat, this workshop enhanced local capacities at the technical, regulatory and operational level for the integration of renewable energy to the power systems.

With the objective to address the challenges and opportunities for the development and operation of clean, competitive and secure energy systems with significant share of variable energy sources, as well to discuss latest advancements and best practices in various facets of grid integration of those resources, the workshop gathered more than 70 participants from policy makers, regulators as well as transmission and distribution system operators from Contracting Parties of the Energy Community - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.

The grid integration of variable renewable energy resources involves different aspects of power system planning and operation which starts from long-term years-ahead planning for RE deployment to short-term intra-hour generator dispatch to balance the variability of renewables output. The workshop intended to cover all these different aspects of grid integration and, thus, included the following sessions:

  • Planning for the future clean, competitive and secure energy systems
  • A market design fit for renewable energy
  • A Balancing Act: Power System Flexibility
  • Grid Integration of Variable Renewable Energy

View the Workshop Agenda and the Summary Report.

Schedule:

08:45–09:00 Welcome coffee
09:00–09:40

Session I: Introduction
09:40–10:40

Session II: Planning for the future clean, competitive and secure energy systems
10:40–11:00 Coffee break
11:00–11:45

Session III: Experiences of Contracting Parties

Round table discussions: Long-term planning of energy systems with higher shares of VREs - Contracting Parties’ presentations

11:45–12:30

Session IV: A market design fit for renewable energy
12:30–13:00 Panel discussion on best practices, gaps and the way forward on future integrated planning and market design
13:00–13:45 Group photo and Lunch break
13:45–15:15

Session V: A Balancing Act: Power System Flexibility
15:15–15:30 Coffee break
15:30–16:40

Session VI: Grid Integration of Variable Renewable Energy
16:40–17:30

Concluding Panel Discussion on the way forward

  • Role of the donors, international financial institutions and the cooperation platforms
  • Role of IRENA
  • Summary of the discussion on: i) identified gaps; ii) necessary technical assistance to address them; iii) best practices and methodologies for the relevant studies
17:30 Closing Remarks

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999)