In Algeria, the government trend is towards the adoption of clean sources in electrical energy production due to the imoprtant solar and wind potential that is available in the desert. Virtual power plants (VPP) are modular designed entities based on software communication technologies which efficiently integrate, organize, and manage decentralized generation, storage, and consumption through a smart energy management system (EMS). VPP can only be created if there is a market to sell its power and services whereas microgrids (MG) can be created anywhere and are not market dependent. In this chapter, a description of VPP and MG is presented. The key components are described, and a comparative study is done to assess which option to adopt for the Algerian context. A review about the deployment experiences, trends, and operation optimization is presented. The aim is to assess how to deploy them in a collaborative way to fit the Algerian future energy sector perspective.
TopIntroduction
Algeria’s energy sector is transforming to become progressively reliant on the electricity produced from renewable energy sources (RES). This shift is due to RES benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability and also the depletion of fossil sources. As evidence of this transformation, the 100% renewable energy project in 2050 is under investigation (Hasni et al., 2021). The objective of 30% share has already to be respected in accordance with Algeria’s committments in Paris Agreement (CEREFE, 2020).
Electricity production from wind and solar energy is not stable and intermittent which completely modifies the traditional model of an electricity system in which the demand is the main fluctuating factor. The distributed generation of electricity is supplied on lower voltage levels and the installation of RES power plants drastically leads to the decentralization of electricity generation. This coexistence between the traditional power plants and the distriduted generation affects the distribution grids and results in two-way power flow which stress on the the overall power system (Recioui and Bentarzi, 2021). There are developments to be made on the current grid in Algeria in terms of an increasingly deployment of automated grid systems (Mohamed and Hanane, 2021). The renewable energy sources tarnsform the passive energy consumers to prosumers that own renewables (on their rooftop) individually or as part of a community-driven energy campaign (Gui and MacGill, 2018).
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) constitute an increasingly deployed smart grid application that combines distributed energy resources (DER) (e.g., distributed generation, controllable loads and energy storage systems) in a collaborative pattern (Asmus, 2010). Distributed Energy Resources describes the vast array of small- and large-scale energy technologies owned by consumers and businesses and even governments. DERs include mature technologies such as distributed generation (e.g., solar PV and wind), demand response, electric vehicle fast chargers (not only cars but the electrification of buses, rail, ports and fleets), energy storage (batteries, thermal storage), microgrids (which facilitate renewable generation, storage and grid resiliency), energy efficiency and smart appliances. These resources all connect to the grid at the distribution level. And as the penetration of DERs increase, the distribution network changes from a single-source radial network to a multi-source grid, meaning utilities must maintain voltage limits, watch for short circuit interruption limits and maintain the interconnected network’s stability, as DERs make the whole process more complex and challenging. On the upside, the grid can be transformed to be more reliable and efficient. Using a VPP, a community could potentially manage the way community-generated energy is used (Verkade and Höffken, 2019) and/ or take part and gain revenues from energy trade, network support and balancing services (El Bakari and Kling, 2012; Klaassen and Van der Laan, 2019). DERs have to deal with some challenges when they are connected to the grid. These include: How to manage voltage levels, how to predict supply and demand, How DERs can be connected to grids cheaper and faster while reducing costs and operating within the technical limits of the power system and, How to overcome the technical and commercial challenges of managing a grid integrating DERs (Pudjianto et al., 2007).