Just can’t get enough: Irish grid stability on a changing system

Last week, EirGrid informed the market of another delay to the volume capped DS3 procurement. This mechanism is to allow the System Operator (SO) to obtain from the market system services necessary to balance the system.

While the procurement delay may cause some disquiet in the market these commercial arrangements are just one of a range of measures to manage the system and ensure that system frequency (in effect a proxy for the shifting demand-supply balance) remains close to the magic 50Hz.

In the year that EirGrid announced the system could accommodate up to 65% SNSP, how well are the web of current tools and system service contracts functioning? In this week’s blog, we get under the skin of the headline SNSP numbers.

Related thinking

Energy storage and flexibility

System operators warn of System Alerts risk this winter

EirGrid and SONI issued their Winter Outlook for 2020-21 on 15 October in which they warned that if high generator forced outage rates continue over the winter period there is a risk of System Alerts. The transmission system operators (TSOs) said the all-island capacity margin this winter is predicted to be 929MW...

Low carbon generation

New policy measures needed to drive renewable generation

Published on 24 August, a new report by Energy Storage Ireland and the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) called for action to strengthen Ireland’s electricity grid. The second of a series of four studies which make up the government’s 70 by 30 Implementation Plan, Saving Power outlines how to minimise dispatch down and increase the use...

Low carbon generation

Analyse thy neighbour: Interconnectors and their importance to future power prices

Whilst we build towards 2021 and post-Brexit energy markets, focus has been applied to how we in GB strive towards net zero ambitions with a more independent policy agenda. However, regardless of future trading arrangements, interconnectors with EU nations will continue to play a pivotal role in driving wholesale power...

Low carbon generation

All-Island wind dispatch-down rises year-on-year

On 17 September, EirGrid published its Annual Renewable Energy Constraint and Curtailment Report 2019 which sets out the amount of wind and, for the first time, solar energy, that is available but cannot be used by the system (i.e. the dispatch-down of energy). Overall, the dispatch-down of energy from wind in Ireland...

Energy storage and flexibility

EirGrid and SONI assess future demand and generation landscape

Transmission system operators (TSOs) EirGrid and SONI have issued the All-Island Generation Capacity Statement 2020-29 that sets out expected electricity demand together with the level of generation capacity that will be required over the next ten years.  Issued on 27 August, the Statement said RoI demand is increasing, and is forecast...

Low carbon generation

Demand trends: August sees highest demand since March

This article was originally published on 25 August 2020 in our ‘SEM and commodity pricing report’.   In this week’s blog we take a look at the latest fundamental developments impacting power prices in the SEM. This will see us take a look at wind generation in the SEM this year, while...

Commercial and market outlook

Changes: how our Spectrum service is evolving

This article was originally published on 9 June 2020 in our ‘Energy Spectrum Ireland’ publication.  Since Cornwall Insight launched the Energy Spectrum Ireland Service in 2015, it has been providing insight on key developments in the energy markets in Ireland. With the macro market trends of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitilisation,...

Low carbon generation

RESS-1 application closing date is further extended

With a lot of uncertainty around the impacts of COVID-19 on global supply chains and renewable project delivery we are starting to see the effects in the Irish Energy market, notably the announcement that prequalification for the Renewable Energy Support Scheme in Ireland will be extended. In December 2019, the...