The worst day of 2024 was last Sunday concerning cuts in green energy from the electrical system, as electricity consumption was very low due to mild weather conditions, while power generation from photovoltaic systems was high.
Indeed, we were informed by the Transmission System Operator’s office (TSO) that on Sunday, some household photovoltaic systems had to be disconnected from the system (deactivated) for a period.
Deactivation of small photovoltaic systems (including household ones) occurred three more times in 2024, leading to the conclusion that the disconnections of rooftop photovoltaic systems in residences for this year will be more than those that occurred last year, estimated at six.
This is mainly due to significantly increased green energy production, as both commercial systems connected between 2022 and 2024 and household systems have increased, while consumption for most months of autumn and spring remains stable around 600 megawatts or – many days – even lower.
The total capacity of photovoltaics today is estimated at around 800 megawatts.
However, even in cases of consumption, for example, 600 megawatts, the power utilized by RES systems ranges from 320-360 megawatts, as the remaining energy must be secured by conventional units of the EAC, as the Operator considers that only with this stable and “certain” production can the stability and safety of the system be ensured.
Cuts from household photovoltaics are now possible for the Operator, following the approval in 2023 of regulations imposing the installation of ripple control (telecontrol mechanism of photovoltaics by Transmission or Distribution Operators) on very small photovoltaic systems, a possibility that did not exist until 2023.
Installing ripple control allows automatic reactivation of household systems when the risk to the electrical system has passed.
As problems imposing rejection of green power production increase, it was deemed imperative to install ripple control telecontrols henceforth, so that in emergencies, household photovoltaics could also be disconnected when, according to the TSO, all possibilities of cuts from commercial photovoltaics or wind systems are exhausted.
While initially cuts from household systems were rare, it seems that their frequency will be higher in the future, at least until the first energy storage systems (batteries) are operational.
The Transmission System Operator had predicted that in 2024, cuts in green energy would reach 28% of the energy produced by commercial photovoltaics.
In March and April, the cuts made indicate that the final percentage will be at the level predicted by the TSO.
However, during this period, there are many days when rejections of energy from commercial photovoltaics amount to 70-75% of production.
Last Sunday, the highest consumption was recorded at 12.45 pm and corresponded to just 555 megawatts, of which 330 came from RES systems and 225 from EAC units.
Yesterday, Monday, the highest consumption was recorded at 1.00 pm and corresponded to 600 megawatts (375 from RES and 225 from EAC).
