Research Funding Supporting Policy Papers and Climate Targets
Mullan Grid Consulting, in partnership with ABO Wind, Coillte and Dublin City University were awarded €49,637 through the 2018 SEAI National Energy RD&D Funding Programme.
Key Achievements
Funding
Awarded €49,637 through the 2018 SEAI National Energy RD&D Funding Programme.
Informing Policy
Contributed to policy papers that have helped inform national policy, in particular the Climate Action Plan target of 70% RES-E by 2030.
Cross Collaboration
Project consortium led by Mullan Grid Consulting, along with partners ABO Wind, Coillte and DCU.
Developed a model for estimating curtailment in Ireland and used this model to investigate measures to mitigate curtailment in 2030.
The Project
Project Title: Identifying the relative and combined impact and importance of a range of curtailment mitigation options on high RES-E systems in 2030 & 2040
This 1-year collaborative project was supported through the 2018 SEAI National Energy RD&D Funding Programme, and examined the electricity system in Ireland, investigating the relative and combined impact and importance of a range of curtailment mitigation options on high RES-E systems in 2030 and 2040. The project was led by Mullan Grid Consulting (Rory Mullan - Project Lead; Peter Lynn and Conor Forde - Project Support), in partnership with ABO Wind and Coillte (Paul Blount - Model Development & Analysis) and Dublin City University (Dr James Carton - Project Support).
The team developed a model for estimating curtailment in Ireland and used this model to investigate potential measures and options to mitigate curtailment in 2030. Measures considered included: Relieving operational constraints, additional interconnection capacity, energy storage, increased wind capacity factors, diversification of technologies (e.g. solar capacity) and demand side management. Model results were visualised using animated graphs, and the project outcomes and results have been widely disseminated across both policy and industry audiences. The team also investigated a number of potential pathways to reach 100% RES-E by 2040, considering Power-to-gas or Power-to-hydrogen technologies. The final technical report is available to download from the National Energy Research Database (link below), which outlines in detail the key conclusions and recommendations.
The research outcomes have also contributed to policy papers that have helped to inform national policy, in particular the Climate Action Plan target of 70% RES-E by 2030.
Paul Blount, Coillte, led the model development and analytics aspects of this project, and was awarded a Person of the Year award by a wind industry association in January 2020 for his outstanding contribution to policy.