Modelling the grid integration of power to gas: A case study of Denmark

Abstract

Ambitious climate targets call for smart strategies and innovative technologies to not only decarbonize the electricity generation, but also the transport and heat supply sector during the upcoming decades. Power to gas (PtG) conversion systems can help to foster this switch from fossil fuels by providing the possibility to store surplus energy from intermittent sources in the form of hydrogen or synthetic natural gas. Next to the option of re-electrification in times of high demand, PtG also allows for the utilization of this green gas as a fuel in other areas of a sustainable energy system. In this thesis a model has been developed to investigate the effects of power to gas on the electricity generation system in Denmark. With the objective of total cost minimization different placements for PtG in the transmission system have been simulated, followed by an analysis on changes in system operation costs, generation dispatch, prices and power flow. It could be shown that the implementation of PtG reduces total system costs as well as the need to curtail wind power in the modelled representation of the Danish system. While average market prices slightly increase with the utilization of PtG, the line loading and times where congestion occurs at the system’s bottleneck has been reduced. Distributing power to gas over three locations in the system decreases the necessary wind curtailment even further.