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Optimal Distribution Planning of Solar Plants and Storage in a Power Grid with High Penetration of Renewables

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  • Pere Colet

    (Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

  • Benjamín A. Carreras

    (Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
    Departamento de Física, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, E-28911 Leganés, Spain)

  • José Miguel Reynolds-Barredo

    (Departamento de Física, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, E-28911 Leganés, Spain)

  • Damià Gomila

    (Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

Abstract

Integrating variable renewable energy sources such as solar power into existing power grids presents major planning and reliability challenges. This study introduces an approach to optimize the placement of solar plants and allocation of storage in grids with high share of these variable energy sources by using a simulation framework that captures system-wide emergent behaviors. Unlike traditional engineering models focused on detailed component-level dynamics, a modified ORNL-PSERC-Alaska model based on self-organized criticality is used to reproduce the statistical features of blackouts, including cascading failures and long-range correlations. A distinctive feature of this approach is the explicit inclusion of key ingredients that shape these statistics, such as the transmission grid structure, generation and consumer buses, power flow balance, periodic dispatches, system failures, secular demand growth, demand fluctuations, and variability of renewable energy sources. When applied to the Balearic Islands grid, this method identifies generation and storage layouts that minimize storage requirements while maintaining reliability levels comparable to conventional power systems. The results offer a complementary systems-level perspective for planning resilient and efficient renewable energy integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Pere Colet & Benjamín A. Carreras & José Miguel Reynolds-Barredo & Damià Gomila, 2025. "Optimal Distribution Planning of Solar Plants and Storage in a Power Grid with High Penetration of Renewables," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:15:p:3891-:d:1706826
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Denholm, Paul & Mai, Trieu, 2019. "Timescales of energy storage needed for reducing renewable energy curtailment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 388-399.
    2. Benjamin Matthiss & Arghavan Momenifarahani & Jann Binder, 2021. "Storage Placement and Sizing in a Distribution Grid with High PV Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-10, January.
    3. Oscar Danilo Montoya & Luis Fernando Grisales-Noreña & Diego Armando Giral-Ramírez, 2022. "Optimal Placement and Sizing of PV Sources in Distribution Grids Using a Modified Gradient-Based Metaheuristic Optimizer," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
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