WISE Public Lecture

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Title:

Decarbonization Pathways and Flexibility Requirements in the Chilean Electric Power System

Abstract:

Several countries are adopting plans to reduce the contaminant emissions from the energy sector through renewable energy integration and restrictions on fossil fuel generation. This process poses important computational and methodological challenges on expansion planning modeling due to the operational details needed for a proper analysis. In this talk, I will first introduce a planning model including an effective representation of the operational aspects of the system to understand the key role of flexible resources for decarbonization. Then, I will discuss the main results of a case study for the Chilean power system, which is currently undergoing an ambitious coal phase-out process, including the analysis of a scenario that leads to a completely renewable generation mix. The results show that highly renewable generation mixes are feasible, but rely on an effective balance of the key flexibility attributes.

Bio:

Presented by Daniel Eduardo Olivares Quero, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, and Director, Center for Energy Transition (CENTRA), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI).

Prof. Olivares has been a consultant on various technical, economic and regulatory aspects in Chile for the Ministry of Energy, the National Energy Commission and the National Electrical Coordinator in Chile, as well as international organizations such as GIZ and the Bank World.