BiH abolishes grid connection limit for renewables

Bosnia and Herzegovina has abolished the capacity limits for connecting wind farms and solar power plants to the grid regarding frequency control. The decision makes BiH the country with the most advanced environment in the region in that segment for the development of variable renewable energy sources, experts say.

The abolition of the capacity limit for intermittent renewables that can be connected to the grid regarding frequency control means that investors are now able to register projects with an unlimited total capacity. A rough estimate shows that projects of a combined 1,500 MW in wind farms and another 1,500 MW in solar power plants are in the pipeline in the country.

The decision was adopted by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC or DERK) based on the proposal of the Independent System Operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina (NOSBiH). The limit was determined on the basis of variability simulations and assessment of the power system’s flexibility capability, which is key to balancing.

Initially, the limit was set at 460 MW for wind and 400 MW for solar. When the effects of regional interconnectivity of regulatory areas were accounted for, the maximum capacities were increased almost two years ago to 840 MW and 825 MW, respectively, making it possible to connect power plants with a combined capacity of 1,665 MW.

Kušljugić: NOSBiH expressed commitment to regional coordination (integration) of frequency control

Professor Mirza Kušljugić from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Tuzla told Balkan Green Energy News it is clear not all the projects currently under development would be completed due to the limitations of grid connections, among other things. It is one of the reasons why studies are conducted to measure the impact of connecting new production facilities on the grid, based on ENTSO-E’s network rules, giving investors clear criteria for project development.

The limitation of the maximum capacity of variable renewable energy sources is, in his words, an operational limit and it depends on the method of balancing and frequency control. The regional integration of the functions, modeled after electricity systems in the EU, enables the connection of larger capacities of renewable power plants.

When variable renewable energy sources are distributed over a larger territory, the overall variability and the need for reserves for frequency control are reduced

With the decision to abolish the limit, BiH’s transmission system operator NOSBiH has expressed its commitment to the regional integration of frequency control, which, with the existence of a balancing market in BiH, represents the most advanced environment in the region for the development of renewables regrading frequency control, Kušljugić concluded.

According to a policy brief from March on a regional approach to balancing wind and solar power plants in the power system of the Western Balkans, the distribution of variable renewable energy sources over a larger territory decreases the overall variability and the need for reserves for frequency control.

Integration of frequency control between power systems in larger interconnections lowers the cost of using regulated reserves and leads to a more cost-effective integration of such energy sources, according to the study.