Renewable Storage and Flexibility Research Group for Power Systems Sustainability

The decarbonization and energy transition agenda has prompted a global shift in the generation matrix, leading to a vast integration of renewable resources. New climate patterns and their linkage to natural hazards add another layer of uncertainty that operators must handle. Despite significant changes in operational modes and increasing uncertainties, computational scheduling models remain essentially unchanged. These models are pivotal in power systems' sustainable development, determining generation scheduling, market prices, and driving long-term investments. In this high-uncertainty environment with low variable costs, storage and flexibility become vital for system reliability and economic affordability. However, to fully harness the benefits of storage, flexibility, and renewables, computational models must account for uncertainties and a realistic look-ahead to capture the relevant system's opportunity costs. In this context, this research and study group aims to promote new insights and studies on the roles, impacts, and challenges of storage and other flexibility instruments (any mechanisms not limited to physical apparatus) to the clean and sustainable development of power systems. From the small to the large storage system, from physical systems to financial instruments and innovative market designs, this research project aims to study how decarbonization can be implemented sustainably in power systems. This goal encompasses all agents and segments, as well as the market, operation, and planning layers.

Founders:

  1. Alexandre Street (coordenador) [PUC-Rio, Brasil],
  2. Alexandre Moreira [Berkeley Lab],
  3. Bruno Fânzeres [PUC-Rio, Brasil],
  4. Davi Valladão [PUC-Rio, Brasil],
  5. David Pozo [European Commission, Joint Research Centre],
  6. Goran Strbac [Imperial College, UK],
  7. José Manuel Arroyo [UCLM, Espanha],
  8. Rodrigo Moreno [Universidade de Chile, Chile].