The planned addition of 4.5 GW of new renewable capacity in Peru could generate a need for between 300 MW and nearly 1 GW of battery storage systems, depending on how the flexibility requirements of the electrical system evolve, Celaris Energy noted.
During its participation in the Future Energy Summit, the company stated that the growth of wind and solar power generation will place greater demands on transmission infrastructure going forward, in a context where the peak demand of the National Interconnected Electric System (SEIN) reached more than 8,200 MW in February and 8,085 MW in August of this year.
“As the renewable energy project portfolio advances, transmission and system flexibility will have to evolve at the same pace. It’s not just about building new generation capacity, but about ensuring there is sufficient capacity to receive, transmit, and manage it efficiently,” said Jefry Arce, Operations Manager at Celaris Energy.
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During the panel 'Networks, Storage, and New Generation for Peru's Future,' he explained that, in transmission, the challenge lies in anticipating the infrastructure needed to connect new projects with consumption centers and preventing capacity constraints from limiting their integration. "Network planning will be key to supporting the gradual integration of new renewable capacity and responding to the evolution of electricity supply and demand," Arce emphasized.
Energy storage will be another component of this new infrastructure. According to the executive, the addition of 4.5 GW of new renewable capacity could require between 300 MW and nearly 1 GW of BESS systems (a technology capable of storing electrical energy and releasing it when the grid needs it) under certain operating scenarios.
In that regard, Arce noted that the next step will be to move toward planning that integrates generation, transmission, and storage as components of a single electrical infrastructure. “Renewable growth changes the system's needs. Transmission and flexibility tools must anticipate the entry of new generation to prevent available capacity from becoming a constraint,” he concluded.