External Documents

Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems

31 Dec 2011: Integration of Wind and Hydropower Systems

This report was prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States. It is the first of a two-volume set and describes the background, concepts, issues, and conclusions related to the feasibility of integrating wind and hydropower as investigated by the members of IEA Wind Task 24. It is the result of a four-year effort involving seven member countries and thirteen participating organizations. The companion report, Volume 2, describes in detail the study methodologies and participant case studies, and exists as a reference for this report.
Electrical Energy Storage

31 Dec 2011: Electrical Energy Storage

This White Paper by IEC summarises present and future market needs for electrical energy storage technologies, reviews their technological features, and finally presents recommendations for all electrical energy storage stakeholders.
Hydro in Europe: Powering Renewables

31 Oct 2011: Hydro in Europe: Powering Renewables

This report is part of the Eurelectric Renewables Action Plan (RESAP). Since the electricity market is not limited to the political boundaries of the EU, statistics have been gathered from neighbouring European countries beyond the EU-27 area. More details on the underlying methodology can be found in Annex 1. Chapter 2 documents the current role of hydropower in the European electricity sector and its remaining potential, with special attention paid to pumped storage facilities. Chapter 3 outlines the basic characteristics of the electricity system, the different types of hydropower projects, and the different types of services they can provide. Case studies from various European regions demonstrate the value of hydropower in matching demand and supply, and in easing the introduction of v-RES. Chapter 4 outlines policy challenges for hydropower. Chapter 5 reflects on the strategic role of hydropower in Europe’s future electricity system. The report concludes with a list of recommendations for policymakers in Chapter 6. The annexes to the report can be found here.
Integrating Intermittent Renewables Sources into the EU Electricity System by 2020: Challenges and Solutions

31 May 2010: Integrating Intermittent Renewables Sources into the EU Electricity System by 2020: Challenges and Solutions

This paper by Eurelectric intends to investigate, on a rather qualitative basis, the impact of intermittent renewable energy sources on electricity markets and grids by the year 2020. The main outcome of the analysis is that the development and accommodation of renewable energy sources is only possible with the speedy introduction and effective implementation of market integration. The focused has been on the “systemic” effects and it has been deliberately sought to avoid the use of detailed figures on the magnitude and location of these effects as much as possible.
Outlook of Energy Storage Technologies

28 Feb 2008: Outlook of Energy Storage Technologies

This study was requested by the European Parliament's committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and provides an overview of the current status and outlook for energy storage technologies. Section 1 introduces energy storage, discusses some of the potential applications of the different technologies and reviews briefly some of the economic and environmental issues arising from their deployment. Section 2 sets out an inventory of energy storage technologies and provides a summary of their characteristics. Section 3 provides a brief summary of the main international research programmes and activities that are in place to support the development of these technologies. Section 4 reviews the most promising technologies for the main potential applications. Section 5 considers the policy challenges relevant to the deployment of energy storage technologies, to help in the development of appropriate recommendations which are then set out in the final section.