The Least-Cost Path to a 100% Renewable Electricity Sector in the
Faroe Islands 4th International Hybrid Power Systems Workshop
Helma Maria Tróndheim Industrial Ph.D. student
Outline
• Background
• The Faroese Power System
• Energy demand
• Renewable resource potential
• Energy mixture optimisation
• The optimal energy mixture
• Conclusion and future work
Background
SEV’s vision • 2014 • 100% renewable electricity sector by 2030
Government • 2015 • 100% renewable electricity sector by 2030 • Electrification of heating (50% by 2025) • Electrification of transport
The path to a 100% renewable electricity sector
The Faroese power system
The grids • Main grid (~90%) • Suðuroy (~10%) • Other grids (<0.2%)
Existing power plants Diesel (66 MW) Hydro (41 MW) Wind (18 MW) Battery System (2.3 MW/0.7 MWh)
-202468
10
Pow
er [M
W]
10 minutes
Wind farmBattery systemStabilised output
Production in 2018 (350 GWh) • Diesel: 51% • Hydro: 31% • Wind: 18%
‘New’ technologies (2019-2020)
Biogas plant (1.5 MW) Solar plant (0.25 MW) Tidal demonstration project (0.2 MW)
Normal demand
Heating
Transport
Renewable Energy
100%
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Energy demand 2017-2030
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
600 En
ergy
(GW
h)
Average wind speed 10 m/s
Average sun hours 1000 h/year
Peak tidal stream 3.5 m/s
Average precipitation 1300 mm/year
Renewable resource potential
Renewable resource potential – Monthly
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec -
20
60
100
160
200
40
80
120
180
140
[mm
] [hr
s]
0
2
4
8
14
6
10
12
m/s
Average precipitation [mm] Average wind speed [m/s] Average sun hours [h] Average tidal stream [m/s]
Optimising the energy mixture
Minimise • Investment costs • Fixed O&M costs • Variable O&M costs
010203040506070
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
CO
2 em
issi
on
[kto
nne/
year
]
Investment options: Wind Solar Tidal Pumped storage Battery Cable
Optimisiation model, Balmorel • Investments (annually) • Dispatch (hourly) • 2019-2030
Constraints • Demand • Resources • CO2 emission
Heygadalur (107m a.s.l.) 2.1 mio. m3
Mýrarnar (240m a.s.l.) 4.1 mio. m3
Pumped storage option 1 – Main grid
Miðvatn (350m a.s.l.) 615.000 m3
Ryskivatn (245m a.s.l.) 415.000 m3
Vatnsnesvatn (180 m a.s.l.) 825.000 m3
Pumped storage option 2 – Suðuroy
The optimal capacities
0
2
4
6
8
10
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Transmission capacity [MW]
0
100
200
300
400
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Diesel Hydro Wind Solar Biogas Battery
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
0
20
40
60
80
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Turbine [MW] Pumps [MW] Storage [MWh]
The optimal annual generation
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Prod
uctio
n [G
Wh]
Diesel Hydro Wind Solar Biogas Battery Renewable
Conclusion and future work
• Optimal energy mixture has been defined • Obtaining more realistic results
• Continuing developing the model • Additional technical constraints • More data input (more investment options)
• Analysing the stability of the proposed energy mixture
Co-authors: Terji Nielsen, The Power Company SEV Bárður A. Niclasen, The University of the Faroe Islands Claus Leth Bak, Aalborg University Filipe Faria Da Silva, Aalborg University
Thank you
Helma Maria Tróndheim, Industrial Ph.D. Student M.Sc. Energy Technology, B.Sc. Energy and Environmental Engineering