1,300 MW of new renewable power capacities have joined the Bulgarian grid this year
The total installed green capacities will reach 5,600 MW, according to the country’s energy regulator
The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) has issued licenses for 1,300 MW of new renewable energy projects in the first 10 months of this year alone. This was announced by the chairman of the regulator, Ivan Ivanov, during a Korean-Bulgarian energy forum organized by the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, the Korean Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bulgaria.
By the end of 2023, 4,300 MW of renewables had been installed in Bulgaria and with the addition of the new licenses they will reach a total of 5,600 MW.
According to Ivanov, with the increase in renewable energy production, Bulgaria's transition to a greener future is also accelerating.
However, the new projects also create problems in the transmission and distribution systems. According to Ivanov, the solution to this problem lies in the modernization and expansion of the networks, which, however, requires time and resources.
He also pointed to solutions that could have an immediate effect, such as the temporary grid connection scheme. Introduced a month ago with the adoption of Ordinance 6, however, its capabilities are quickly running out as during this first month, 51 applications for 109 MW have been submitted.
Flexible grid connection is the second solution outlined by Ivanov.
Solar parks produce energy for 1300-1400 hours per year. During the rest of the time, their capacity remains unused. According to the EWRC chairman, this allows the addition of a wind park, for example, which would fully use the same capacity, since the overlap between the two energy sources (solar and wind) is only 4%.
There is something that is not implemented, however, and that is the full visibility of the available capacity of the respective network," said Ivanov.
The recommendation is that the Electricity System Operator (ESO) and ERD ensure visibility of the available transmission capacity of the respective network and clearly indicate the committed and free transmission capacity, as well as the energy source that is the originator of the energy passing through the relevant section of the network. This will optimize the submission of requests to join the grid.
Ivanov also outlined the importance of energy storage installations.
They are a powerful tool to overcome imbalances in the sector caused by the exponential growth of energy produced by RES. They are a powerful argument against the thesis that unevenness in the production of energy from RES is insurmountable," said Ivanov.
Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov