HANDLING OF CONTROL ENERGY & SURPLUS ELECTRICITY

MAKING REASONABLE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES

In recent years the issue of control energy has become increasingly important. The need for load-balancing systems has increased significantly as the electricity supplied from renewable energy sources has grown. The unregulated introduction of electricity from renewable sources into the public grid is the primary cause for this need. The additional power from such sources has created a daily difference between the electrical supply and the electrical demand.

To ensure the stability of the grid and to avoid a collapse, grid operators make every effort to maintain the grid’s demand frequency at roughly 50 Hz.

Since the surplus energy on the grid cannot simply be consumed and electrical energy is difficult to store on a large scale, systems serve to convert the form of energy for use as control energy.

Specifically, this means that heat is produced from the excess quantities of surplus electricity on the grid. This heat can be then used for different processes. For example, the steam generated in this manner can be supplied to local and district heating systems. As positive side effect, control energy suppliers are financially reimbursed by network providers who serve as suppliers for reserves required in minutes or seconds. Consequently, plants generating control energy make an indispensable contribution to securing the power supply for the entire grid.

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