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Green Energy Futures: A Big Change for the Good pp 57–81Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Integration Issues: Dealing with Intermittency

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Abstract

Some renewable energy sources are variable, so that mechanisms have to be available to balance their impact on the power grid system. Grid systems already deal with supply and demand variations, in part by ramping backup plants up and down, and with moderate levels of renewables added, this will remain sufficient, but as and when the renewable contribution rises, the existing mechanisms will have to be extended and additional mechanisms added. Options include smart grid demand-management systems, supergrid imports balanced over time by exports of excess supply, increased use of pumped hydro and new compressed air storage systems, along with power-to-gas systems converting surplus supply to stored hydrogen/methane and flexible CHP/district heating systems linked to large heat stores.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Open University, UK

    David Elliott (Emeritus Professor of Technology Policy)

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© 2015 David Elliott

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Elliott, D. (2015). Integration Issues: Dealing with Intermittency. In: Green Energy Futures: A Big Change for the Good. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137584434_4

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