PROGRAMME

High shares of RES-based power capacity in island electricity grids often imply significant energy curtailments of non-dispatchable power generation, which in turn limits islands’ capacity to leverage RES environmental and economic benefits. The presence of energy storage systems and/or grid interconnections can improve this situation, but at the same time add considerable costs in terms of capital expenditure. We argue that exploitation of already existing assets, at the demand side, offers the opportunity for low-cost demand-based schemes, providing power systems with increased flexibility which, in turn, can support increased RES penetration. This study demonstrates the application of a demand side management strategy for exploiting the high deferability of load demand of a set of water pumping stations, in an isolated grid on a Greek island. The strategy, given a sufficient implementation scale, seeks to reduce limitations, with regards to wind energy contribution in RES-saturated grids, under an energy consumption minimization function, fulfilling at the same time constraints related to water management.