Analysis of Wind Energy Curtailment in the Ireland and Northern Ireland Power Systems

TL;DR

This paper analyzes wind energy curtailment in Ireland and Northern Ireland's power system, revealing that operational constraints, especially MUON, primarily drive curtailment at high renewable penetration levels.

Contribution

It provides an empirical analysis of wind curtailment factors in the AIPS, highlighting the dominant role of operational constraints over technical limits during 2020-2021.

Findings

Curtailment increases with wind capacity

Operational constraints, especially MUON, are main drivers

SNSP limit has less impact on curtailment

Abstract

The All-Island power system (AIPS) of Ireland and Northern Ireland currently accommodates up to 75% of system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) (e.g., wind). These unprecedented levels of renewable penetration challenge the operation of the power system. The AIPS is not always able to accommodate all of the available renewable generation due to binding operational and technical constraints. In this context, this paper analyses wind energy curtailment in the AIPS using actual data. It is found that there is a positive correlation between the installed wind capacity and curtailment levels, and that the trend is that these levels increase. The paper also shows that the main driver for curtailment in AIPS during 2020-2021 was the operational constraint that imposes a minimum number of conventional units online (MUON) (80% of the time), with the SNSP limit accounting for less than 20%. Other system-wide limits, such as rate of change of frequency (RoCoF) and inertia are found to have a negligible impact on wind curtailment.