Impact of intermittent renewable energy generation penetration on the power system networks – A review

Entrance of intermittent renewable power energy sources has brought in benefits mainly associated with emission reduction to help the climate change cause and reduce pollution. However, entrance of renewable generation sources, mainly wind and solar generation that are intermittent energy sources by nature has not come without its own challenges. Future power grids will see continued elevation of intermittent generation with instantaneous penetration levels that may potentially be as high as 100% for some periods. This paper reviews published works and highlights technical challenges that require further research to ensure that power grids that will be dominated by inverter-based generation or purely powered by inverter-based generation continue to operate reliably and remain stable for all operating scenarios. The paper outlines further research opportunities in areas of power sytem security assessment, voltage and frequency management, power system stability, resource forecasting techniques for unit commitment, behind the meter generators and loads integration to grid, frequency and voltage support, power system flexibility assessment methods, protection schemes enhancement, power quality mitigation techniques and modelling requirements to support real-time power system operation.