IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v181y2016icp210-223.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The benefits of flexibility: The value of wind energy with hydropower

Author

Listed:
  • Hirth, Lion

Abstract

Several studies have shown that the revenue of wind power generators on spot markets (“market value”) diminishes with increasing deployment. This “value drop” is mostly observed in power markets that are dominated by thermal power plants, such as in Germany. This paper assesses the wind market value in power systems where hydroelectric stations with large reservoirs prevail, such as in Sweden. Due to their dispatch flexibility, such hydropower compensates for wind power output variability and thereby mitigates the wind power value drop. The market value of electricity from wind declines with penetration in both types of power systems, but it tends to decline at a slower rate if hydropower is present. This paper presents empirical evidence on the relevance of this effect derived from market data and numerical model results. Our results indicate that when moving from 0% to 30% wind penetration, hydropower mitigates the value drop by a third. As a result, 1 MWh of wind energy is worth 18% more in Sweden than in Germany. Sensitivity analyses indicate high robustness despite large parameter uncertainty: in 80% of all sensitivities, wind energy is valuable 12–29% more in Sweden than in Germany. The benefits of hydropower seem to level off at around 20% wind penetration. This suggests that the hydro flexibility is “exhausted” at this level. Low wind speed wind turbines, carbon pricing, and upgrades of hydropower generation capacity can lever the added value of hydro flexibility further. Not only is wind energy more valuable in the presence of hydropower, hydroelectricity also becomes more valuable if paired with wind power.

Suggested Citation

  • Hirth, Lion, 2016. "The benefits of flexibility: The value of wind energy with hydropower," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 210-223.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:181:y:2016:i:c:p:210-223
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261916309801
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.07.039?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Luoma, Jennifer & Mathiesen, Patrick & Kleissl, Jan, 2014. "Forecast value considering energy pricing in California," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 230-237.
    2. Hirth, Lion & Ueckerdt, Falko & Edenhofer, Ottmar, 2015. "Integration costs revisited – An economic framework for wind and solar variability," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 925-939.
    3. Nuytten, Thomas & Claessens, Bert & Paredis, Kristof & Van Bael, Johan & Six, Daan, 2013. "Flexibility of a combined heat and power system with thermal energy storage for district heating," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 583-591.
    4. Brouwer, Anne Sjoerd & van den Broek, Machteld & Zappa, William & Turkenburg, Wim C. & Faaij, André, 2016. "Least-cost options for integrating intermittent renewables in low-carbon power systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 48-74.
    5. Ueckerdt, Falko & Hirth, Lion & Luderer, Gunnar & Edenhofer, Ottmar, 2013. "System LCOE: What are the costs of variable renewables?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 61-75.
    6. Hirth, Lion & Müller, Simon, 2016. "System-friendly wind power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 51-63.
    7. Hirth, Lion & Ueckerdt, Falko, 2013. "Redistribution effects of energy and climate policy: The electricity market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 934-947.
    8. Lion Hirth, Falko Ueckerdt, and Ottmar Edenhofer, 2016. "Why Wind Is Not Coal: On the Economics of Electricity Generation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    9. Zhao, Haoran & Wu, Qiuwei & Hu, Shuju & Xu, Honghua & Rasmussen, Claus Nygaard, 2015. "Review of energy storage system for wind power integration support," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 545-553.
    10. Hirth, Lion, 2013. "The market value of variable renewables," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 218-236.
    11. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Stanley S. Reynolds & Mario Samano, 2016. "Intermittency and the Value of Renewable Energy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 124(4), pages 1187-1234.
    12. Hirth, Lion & Ziegenhagen, Inka, 2015. "Balancing power and variable renewables: Three links," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1035-1051.
    13. Lamont, Alan D., 2008. "Assessing the long-term system value of intermittent electric generation technologies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 1208-1231, May.
    14. Paul L. Joskow, 2011. "Comparing the Costs of Intermittent and Dispatchable Electricity Generating Technologies," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 238-241, May.
    15. Richard Green & Nicholas Vasilakos, 2012. "Storing Wind for a Rainy Day: What Kind of Electricity Does Denmark Export?," The Energy Journal, , vol. 33(3), pages 1-22, July.
    16. González-Aparicio, I. & Zucker, A., 2015. "Impact of wind power uncertainty forecasting on the market integration of wind energy in Spain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 334-349.
    17. Gebretsadik, Yohannes & Fant, Charles & Strzepek, Kenneth & Arndt, Channing, 2016. "Optimized reservoir operation model of regional wind and hydro power integration case study: Zambezi basin and South Africa," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 574-582.
    18. Grubb, M. J., 1991. "The integration of renewable electricity sources," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(7), pages 670-688, September.
    19. Foley, A.M. & Leahy, P.G. & Li, K. & McKeogh, E.J. & Morrison, A.P., 2015. "A long-term analysis of pumped hydro storage to firm wind power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 638-648.
    20. Farahmand, H. & Doorman, G.L., 2012. "Balancing market integration in the Northern European continent," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 316-326.
    21. Boccard, Nicolas, 2010. "Economic properties of wind power: A European assessment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 3232-3244, July.
    22. Fang, Tingting & Lahdelma, Risto, 2016. "Optimization of combined heat and power production with heat storage based on sliding time window method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 723-732.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lion Hirth, Falko Ueckerdt, and Ottmar Edenhofer, 2016. "Why Wind Is Not Coal: On the Economics of Electricity Generation," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    2. Hirth, Lion & Ueckerdt, Falko & Edenhofer, Ottmar, 2015. "Integration costs revisited – An economic framework for wind and solar variability," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 925-939.
    3. Ruhnau, Oliver, 2022. "How flexible electricity demand stabilizes wind and solar market values: The case of hydrogen electrolyzers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    4. Hirth, Lion, 2013. "The market value of variable renewables," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 218-236.
    5. Ruhnau, Oliver & Hirth, Lion & Praktiknjo, Aaron, 2020. "Heating with wind: Economics of heat pumps and variable renewables," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Zerrahn, Alexander, 2017. "Wind Power and Externalities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 245-260.
    7. Romeiro, Diogo Lisbona & Almeida, Edmar Luiz Fagundes de & Losekann, Luciano, 2020. "Systemic value of electricity sources – What we can learn from the Brazilian experience?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    8. Ruhnau, Oliver, 2020. "Market-based renewables: How flexible hydrogen electrolyzers stabilize wind and solar market values," EconStor Preprints 227075, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Alexandra G. Papadopoulou & George Vasileiou & Alexandros Flamos, 2020. "A Comparison of Dispatchable RES Technoeconomics: Is There a Niche for Concentrated Solar Power?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-22, September.
    10. Lion Hirth, 2013. "The Market Value of Variable Renewables. The Effect of Solar and Wind Power Variability on their Relative Price," RSCAS Working Papers 2013/36, European University Institute.
    11. Klie, Leo & Madlener, Reinhard, 2022. "Optimal configuration and diversification of wind turbines: A hybrid approach to improve the penetration of wind power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    12. Lion Hirth, 2015. "The Optimal Share of Variable Renewables: How the Variability of Wind and Solar Power affects their Welfare-optimal Deployment," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    13. Brown, T. & Reichenberg, L., 2021. "Decreasing market value of variable renewables can be avoided by policy action," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    14. Hu, Jing & Harmsen, Robert & Crijns-Graus, Wina & Worrell, Ernst & van den Broek, Machteld, 2018. "Identifying barriers to large-scale integration of variable renewable electricity into the electricity market: A literature review of market design," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2181-2195.
    15. Hirth, Lion & Müller, Simon, 2016. "System-friendly wind power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 51-63.
    16. Johannes Pfeiffer, 2017. "Fossil Resources and Climate Change – The Green Paradox and Resource Market Power Revisited in General Equilibrium," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 77.
    17. Klie, Leo & Madlener, Reinhard, 2020. "Concentration Versus Diversification: A Spatial Deployment Approach to Improve the Economics of Wind Power," FCN Working Papers 2/2020, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN), revised May 2021.
    18. Javier L'opez Prol & Wolf-Peter Schill, 2020. "The Economics of Variable Renewables and Electricity Storage," Papers 2012.15371, arXiv.org.
    19. Odeh, Rodrigo Pérez & Watts, David, 2019. "Impacts of wind and solar spatial diversification on its market value: A case study of the Chilean electricity market," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 442-461.
    20. Bistline, John E., 2017. "Economic and technical challenges of flexible operations under large-scale variable renewable deployment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 363-372.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:181:y:2016:i:c:p:210-223. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.