Reliability improvement resulting from the integration of PV systems in the Interconnected Greek Transmission System

Photovoltaic Systems (PV) are becoming one of the most developing investment areas in the field of renewable energy sources (RES). Environmental pollution renders the need for covering energy demands by renewable sources more imperative than ever. The aim of the paper is to use the estimated power production of PV units in order to evaluate the potential improvement of loss of load probability (LOLP) and loss of energy probability (LOEP). This analysis is implemented for the Interconnected Greek Transmission System (IGTS). The power output of PV units in Greece is calculated and the expected reduction of the above indices is demonstrated. Furthermore, peak shaving for the IGTS by the use of PV units is also illustrated. Finally, reliability improvement is expressed in terms of profit by comparing the cost for every kWh produced by PV units to the corresponding cost for every kWh produced by expensive units, which would otherwise cover a proportion of peak load demand.