Increasing the value of wind: From passive to active actors in multiple power markets

When the share of variable renewable energy, such as wind energy, in the energy system becomes large, the integration cost increases in accordance with the depletion of flexible ramping capabilities of the system. Therefore, integration of large shares of wind power into power system operations calls for market integration as well as for additional flexibility. Among the various available options, wind power plants themselves have the technical potential of offering flexibility. Using the Danish market conditions as a case study, we model and analyze four strategies for the participation of a wind power producer in day-ahead and real-time electricity markets, and compare how they affect the value of wind power production. Our findings suggest that wind power plants can have a more solid business case if they are active on both day-ahead and real-time power markets, which increases the economic value of wind energy as well as reduces the system integration costs. We also highlight that support schemes can affect the incentives for active participation on real-time power markets. This type of insight is valuable for wind power's potential to expand its market share while keeping a high economic value in power markets, where the political trend is towards market based deployment of renewables and focus on low system integration costs. This article is categorized under: Wind Power > Systems and Infrastructure Wind Power > Economics and Policy Energy Systems Economics > Economics and Policy Energy Systems Analysis > Economics and Policy.