(WÄRTSILÄ) – Behind the necessary rise in power of renewable energies, the issue of their integration into the electricity network has occupied the experts of the Forum on the Energy Transition in North and West Africa.
According to Wärtsilä Energy, a manufacturer of power plants and leading energy systems integrator in Africa, multiple constraints must be taken into account to increase the share of renewables while guaranteeing more reliable electricity production. To resolve this complex equation, questions of flexibility of the energy system, anticipation of technological developments, and questions of financing must be addressed effectively.. So many determining issues which occupied the discussions during the Energy Transition Forum which brought together in Rabat the major public and private players in the energy sector from North and West Africa.
A headache for network managers
“ The region’s power grids are under great stress, with ongoing constraints leading to chronic instability. », explains Marc Thiriet, Africa Energy Business Director, at Wärtsilä. “ At the same time, it is necessary that they be developed at a rapid pace to cope with the expected increase in electricity demand; the latter itself increasingly coming from renewable energy. The networks, which already had to adapt to very fluctuating downstream demand, will also have to manage an increased volume of intermittent solar and wind electricity production upstream, which will greatly complicate the management work. “.
This is why it is necessary to make electricity production more flexible. This flexibility comes above all from so-called “balancing” technologies, that is to say battery storage on the one hand, and flexible motor power plants on the other. Unlike storage, the technology of balancing motors is relatively little known to the general public and yet these power plants have already been deployed for many years in almost all African countries (for example, Tan-Tan, a power plant with 116MW engines in Morocco).
This technology is popular because it has many advantages, particularly in terms of operational efficiency, which make it ideal for dealing with the particular conditions of the African energy sector, such as heat, humidity, or even instability of fuel supply.
Power plants with balancing motors are in particular capable of ramping up and down in load very quickly to respond to multiple daily fluctuations in electricity demand and renewable production. This is a major advantage in facilitating the integration of large-scale renewable energies into the grid.
The key role of green fuels in the energy transition
According to Marc Thiriet, “Today’s energy choices take decades. This is why electrification strategies must be considered in the very long term on the basis of in-depth analyses, which must also fully integrate the major technological developments that are emerging, such as the emergence of green fuels. “.
Indeed, if balancing power plants equipped with “Dual-Fuel” engines have long had the ability to switch from one fuel to another (natural gas, oil or biomethane) without even having to be shut down, this is good the current emergence of new green fuels, hydrogen in the first place, which will make it possible to take the final step in the decarbonization of electricity networks.
“ Flexible power plants will need to be able to use all available green fuels, with hydrogen the most likely long-term solution. Biofuels such as biomethane already exist locally and are ready for use for the production of controllable electricity. », explains Martial Claudepierre, Senior Expert in Green Fuels at Wärtsilä Energy. “ A of the objectives will be, in the event of excess production of renewable electricity, to use it to produce green hydrogen which will be stored to be used subsequently to produce green electricity during intermittent periods of renewable energies or during high electricity prices “.
Currently, the balancing motors of Wärtsilä can operate using a mixture of fuels containing up to 25% hydrogen. It is expected that within a few years, “multi-fuel” engines will be able to operate exclusively on all green fuels, such as ammonia or even methanol, thus enabling a transition to 100% renewable energy with a carbon impact. zero and at a competitive cost.
Power plants, because of their flexibility and fuel versatility, therefore provide an excellent foundation on which to build a renewable future. “ Wärtsilä’s goal by 2030 is to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of power plants that will be ready to operate entirely on carbon-free fuels. “, said Kenneth Engblom, Vice President of Wärtsilä Energy.
Wärtsilä Energy in brief
Wärtsilä Energy is leading the transition to a 100% renewable energy future. We help our partners accelerate their decarbonization through our expertise in power grid modeling and our innovative technologies. These services include balancing plants powered by the fuels of the future, hybrid solutions, energy storage and the GEMS digital platform for energy optimization. Wärtsilä Energy lifecycle services are designed to improve efficiency, promote reliability and ensure optimal performance. Our portfolio includes 79 GW of installed capacity and 125 energy storage systems delivered to 180 countries around the world. https://www.wartsila.com/energy
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