Study Tour on the Planning and Operation of Grids with High Shares of Variable Renewable Energy

In the framework of the implementation of the West Africa Clean Energy Corridor (WACEC), IRENA has launched a capacity building programme in the region in collaboration with relevant stakeholders of the ECOWAS power sector (ECREEE, WAPP, ERERA and GIZ). As part of the implementation of the component of the capacity building programme on the planning and operation of power grids with higher shares of variable renewable power, a series of two-week technical trainings were held in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in early May 2018.

In accordance with the capacity building plan, theoretical technical trainings must be complemented by a practical study tour in a country with proven experience in the grid integration of variable renewable power. State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) agreed to host a study tour. As China currently has the world's largest installed capacity of solar and wind power, and the share of renewable sources in the energy mix had been gradually rising in recent years, the country’s knowledge in grid integration can be useful for other countries undertaking ambitious plans to scale-up the share of renewables in the power mix.