Aggregated Flexibility to Support Congestion Management

The increase in variable renewable energy sources requires more flexibility in the power system. This could be provided by small distributed energy sources located at end-users. Aggregators can potentially exploit this flexibility by providing Primary Control Reserve (PCR) services to the Transmission System Operator, and congestion management services to Distribution System Operators. A simulation model based on Linear Programming is used to assess, for a case study in the Netherlands, whether such congestion management services are efficient. The results show that an aggregator can reduce the total system costs with 10–15% relative to traditional grid reinforcements, depending on price and depreciation of batteries, PCR remuneration, and wholesale electricity price.