Economic aspects of ensuring the capacity adequacy of electric power systems

The present report deals with economic issues of selecting means ensuring the capacity adequacy of electric power systems. Cost analysis of various engineering measures ensuring the capacity adequacy has been performed, namely: construction of backup generating facilities, erection of new power transmission lines, or increase of transmission capacity of existing power lines. The cost-based analysis has been conducted based on investment programs and regulatory acts in place. Recommendations on developing computational models of power systems have been given based on the results obtained in order to assess the capacity adequacy parameters, with account made for the cost of various engineering measures to be taken for their improvement.

In prevailing practice of calculation of capacity adequacy parameters, the structure of electric power systems transmission network is presented as a transport model which makes an aggregate of reliability zones and tie-lines between them of a given transmission capacity. The main objective of calculation of capacity adequacy parameters is to determine the required generating capacity redundancy level, i.e. the values of the capacity margin and its location within electric power systems to ensure a required level of capacity adequacy. With that in mind, when evaluating and accordingly when forming transport models, it should be useful to take into account the transmission constraints only for those power grid segments, whose cost of transmission capacity increase is comparable with that of construction of new generating facilities.

On the basis of calculation data, one may state that for overhead electric lines of short or average length the cost of 1 kW of its transmission capacity will be considerably lower than that of installed capacity of a new generating facility, with the above costs comparable only with the length of the line close to its critical value. When forming transport models of electric power systems, it is useful to take into account not only the distance between electric power system nodes, but also their potential need of margin capacity. As far as remote nodes are concerned, if these are of low need in margin capacity, it should be reasonable to separate them as specifi c reliability areas.

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