Spanish grid operator authorizes renewables for dynamic voltage control

From pv magazine Spain

Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE) said this week that it has authorized 24 renewable energy facilities to provide dynamic voltage control services under Operational Program 7.4 (OP 7.4). The approval follows a request REE submitted in 2020 and a June decision by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) to grant authorization through an urgent resolution.

The company said it is “prepared for these facilities to begin providing this service as soon as it receives notification” and invited other renewable operators to apply for authorization.

Under OP 7.4, participating plants must demonstrate an ability to supply or absorb reactive power equal to at least 30% of their maximum output to stabilize voltage in the grid. Facilities can manage voltage either by reactive power setpoints or by real-time voltage setpoints, the latter enabling faster response to fluctuations in a system increasingly dominated by variable renewables.

REE said it has received 168 applications, of which 125 came from non-dispatchable renewable plants. Twenty-four are ready to begin testing, while the rest either lack voltage setpoint monitoring capability or are finalizing documentation.

Approved facilities will receive dispatch priority and may qualify for shorter ramp-up times. Conventional generation units such as combined-cycle and hydroelectric plants are also required to provide basic dynamic voltage control, but REE said it is prioritizing renewables because they “are the only ones that can offer new resources to the system.”

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