Solar PV industry calls for fair European balancing market rules

EUROPE: The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) has submitted proposals for amendments to the Electricity Balancing Network Code drafted by the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) in which it states that by setting some common principles for the provision of balancing services, this Network Code could foster PV participation in system operation in Europe.

EPIA noted in its reply to the ENTSO-E public consultation that PV is technically capable of supporting system balancing and could become a Balancing Service Provider for Transmission System Operators if existing rules are adjusted. In particular, the distributed nature and the inherent variability of PV electricity should be reflected in the Electricity Balancing Network Code.

EPIA said in a press release that its proposed amendments to the code underline the importance of reflecting the characteristics of PV technology in the principles governing balancing markets in Europe. PV power plants connected to the distribution grid will be able to efficiently offer balancing services only if aggregated in large portfolios. Moreover, in order to limit their power losses, PV generators should have the possibility to link their offers to the accuracy of their production forecasts, which improves as real-time approaches.

"The REserviceS project, funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, has just delivered a report showing that considerable advantages can be gained by aggregating PV power and by decreasing today's used confidence levels of bids for balancing services. We therefore encourage Transmission System Operators to take such advantages into account when designing standard products for balancing services, as required by the Network Code," Manoël Rekinger, technology advisor at EPIA, said in the statement.