A long-term prospective for the Spanish electricity system

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to present the preliminary results obtained within the SUSPLAN EU Project2, regarding the integration of increasing levels of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) into the future Spanish energy system. Firstly, the optimal expansion of the Spanish electricity generation capacity from 2020 to 2050 is determined for four different storylines. Then, for each one of these storylines, a detailed analysis of the power system operation is performed for the years of 2020 and 2050. Two electricity models are used for that purpose: i) a long term generation expansion model, and ii) a medium-term system operational model. The results obtained showed that a high amount of RES generation could be integrated into the future Spanish power system but this should be accompanied with flexible generation and storage units for ensuring a secure system operation.