Integration of Wind Offshore Generation into the Italian Transmission Network: connection solutions and case study

Offshore wind is a rapidly maturing renewable energy technology that is set to play a primary role in future energy systems. So far, offshore wind provided a small fraction of global electricity demand, but it is set to expand strongly over the next two decade. Turbines are growing in size and in terms of the power capacity they can provide, which in turn is delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms. The growth of offshore wind projects poses numerous technical and operational challenges to Transmission System Operators (TSOs). One of those issues concerns fact that the floating technology is specifically applied in deep seabed, such as the Mediterranean Sea. And for this reason, over the last two years an unprecedented volume of offshore connection requests is affecting Southern Italian regions, requiring extensive planning studies in order to provide coordinated, secure and cost-effective connection solutions. Present paper describes the connection schemes adopted by Terna to meet the challenges of the future Italian power system, to facilitate larger amount of variable renewable generation while providing a secure, cost effective and reliable electrical power supply. A representative case study on the connection of a high share of RES to a regional power system with a weak link to the main transmission grid is assessed.