The changing sensitivity of power systems to meteorological drivers: a case study of Great Britain

The increasing use of intermittent renewable generation (such as wind) is increasing the exposure of national power systems to meteorological variability. This study identifies how the integration of wind power in one particular country (Great Britain, GB) is affecting the overall sensitivity of the power system to weather using three key metrics: total annual energy requirement and peak residual load (from sources other than wind) and wind power curtailment. The present-day level of wind power capacity (approximately 15GW) is shown to have already changed the power system's overall sensitivity to weather in terms of the total annual energy requirement, from a temperature- to a wind-dominated regime (which occurred with 6GW of installed wind power capacity). Peak residual load from sources other than wind also shows a similar shift. The associated changes in the synoptic- and large-scale meteorological drivers associated with each metric are identified and discussed. In a period where power systems are changing rapidly, it is therefore argued that past experience of the weather impacts on the GB power system may not be a good guide for the impact on the present or near-future power system

The impact of the north atlantic oscillation on renewable energy resources in Southwestern Europe

Europe is investing considerably in renewable energies for a sustainable future, with both Iberian countries (Portugal and Spain) promoting significantly new hydropower, wind, and solar plants. The climate variability in this area is highly controlled by just a few large-scale teleconnection modes. However, the relationship between these modes and the renewable climate-dependent energy resources has not yet been established in detail. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the interannual variability of the main and primary renewable energy resources in Iberia. This is achieved through a holistic assessment that is based on a 10-km-resolution climate simulation spanning the period 1959-2007 that provides physically consistent data of the various magnitudes involved. A monthly analysis for the extended winter (October-March) months shows that negative NAO phases enhance wind speeds (10%-15%) and, thereby, wind power (estimated around 30% at typical wind-turbine altitudes) and hydropower resources (with changes in precipitation exceeding 100% and implying prolonged responses in reservoir storage and release throughout the year), while diminishing the solar potential (10%-20%). Opposite signals were also sporadically identified, being well explained when taking into account the orography and the prevailing wind direction during bothNAOphases. An additional analysis using real wind, hydropower, and solar power generation data further confirms the strong signature of the NAO. © 2013 American Meteorological Society.Sonia Jerez and Ricardo M. Trigo acknowledge the support provided by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) through the ENAC project (PTDC/AAC-CLI/103567/2008). Sergio M. Vicente- Serrano and Jorge Lorenzo Lacruz receive support from the following research projects: CGL2011-27574- CO2-02 and CGL2011-27536, financed by the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology and ‘‘Demonstration and validation of innovative methodology for regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean area’’ (LIFE MEDACC) financed by the LIFE Program of the European Commission. David Pozo Vazquez and Francisco Javier Santos Alamillo acknowledge funding provided by the Consejerıa de Innovaci on, Ciencia y Empresa (CICE) of the Junta de Andalusia (Spain) (Project P07-RNM-02872) and the FEDER. Raquel Lorente Plazas and Juan Pedro Montavez Gomez acknowledge support from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (CGL2011-29672- C02-02) and from the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente (Project 200800050084265). Finally, the authors thank the anonymous reviewers for the valuable feedback they provided.Peer Reviewe