Acera, together with the Complex Engineering Systems Institute, presented the study “Cost/benefit analysis of potential trajectories towards a zero operation of the national electrical system”.
The Chilean Association of Renewable Energies and Storage, ACERA AG, in collaboration with the Complex Engineering Systems Institute (ISCI), presented this morning the study “Cost/benefit analysis of potential trajectories towards a zero operation of the national electrical system”. The activity, carried out in the Domeyko Hall of the central House of the University of Chile, brought together representatives of the public, private, academic and civil society sector.
This research constitutes a Update of the study developed in 2022which proposed a road map towards the decarbonization of the electrical matrix to the year 2050. In this new version, it deepens short and medium -term scenarios, with technical and economic projections for the 2030s, 2035 and 2040, Considering the progressive retirement of fossil generation, the mass incorporation of variable renewable energy, storage expansion, and the enabled role of flexible demand.
Key scenarios and findings
The central presentation of the study was in charge of Rodrigo Moreno academic at the University of Chile and line head of the Energy Systems Engineering Area of the ISCI, who presented the main results of the analysis of trajectories towards an electrical operation without emissions.
Among the most relevant findings, it is concluded that it is technically viable to operate the Chilean electrical system without fossil generation at 2035, provided that an adequate expansion of renewable capacity and storage is ensured, thus maintaining safety standards. Likewise, it is evident that the incorporation of flexible demand (DSR) could avoid even 8,8 GW in new installed capacity for renewables and storage, generating significant savings and greater operational efficiency.
In the face of extreme scenarios derived from climate change, The additional 6 GW need in renewable investments and energy storage is estimated to maintain the reliability of the system due to adverse conditions such as droughts or low wind generation.
On the other hand, the study warns that the investment trajectory based on market observation, which reflects the current system expansion trajectory, has higher costs by prioritizing greater solar penetration that requires higher storage levels, compared to greater wind development. The important message derived from this analysis is that the current investment trajectory, Strongly based on storage projects, it can be less efficient than that which integrates wind, since this latest technology requires lower storage development, due to its most distributed and continuous generation contribution in the day and night.
Despite these differences, all scenarios have a challenging investment level for the cost-efficient development of the system that allows supplying the demand for new types of consumption such as electromobility and green hydrogen. Significant investments in renewable technologies and energy storage systems (SAE) are required, which involve practically duplicate the current installed capacity of the country, exceeding 60 to 70 GW by 2040. This expansion must be accompanied by adequate transmission infrastructure planning, enabling mechanisms for flexible demand and regulatory frameworks that accelerate the efficient integration of these technologies into the system.
If you are interested in receiving news published in Mining Report | The Mining Portal in Chile, register your email here
If you are going to use content of our newspaper (texts or simply data) in some means of communication, blog or social networks, indicates the source, otherwise you will be incurring a crime sanctioned Law No. 17,336, on intellectual property. The above does not govern photographs and videos, as its reproduction for informative purposes is totally prohibited.
Comment here
Related news :