25 April 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Smart Grids (ISGAN) has published a white paper titled “Smart Grid Contributions to Variable Renewable Resource (VRR) Integration,” describing ways to enhance integration of variable renewable resources using smart grid systems.

Challenges to integrating VRR such as wind and solar into grids identified in the paper include: increased cost of transmission due to renewables’ distributed nature; variable ramping requirements over the course of a day; quick production ramp changes due to cloud and wind shifts; intra-hour variability; and over-generation, which occurs mainly for wind power generation. For each of these specific issues the paper provides smart grid tools, market tools, system operation tools and others which would offer solutions to the problems.

In addition, the paper dedicates significant space to the describing how solutions could be integrated by on the demand-side and delivery-side, using markets, enabling distributed generation and micro grids, and via improved coordination between Distribution System Operators and Transmission System Operators.

The paper closes by recommending that smart grid roadmaps and scenarios for future renewable energy supply are aligned, smart grid VRR integration solutions be evaluated in the context of the full range of integration solutions. [Publication: Smart Grid Contributions to Variable Renewable Resource Integration]