This project addresses an important concern that is typically raised when discussing power systems with a high share of renewables. Once the development of renewables reaches a certain level, concerns grow that existing conventional power plants cannot be operated with sufficient flexibility. As a result, there are calls to limit the addition of new fluctuating renewable capacity to the system. Making existing conventional power plants more flexible is therefore a key prerequisite for integrating large shares of renewables more effectively.
Against this backdrop, this project analyses technical and economic factors related to increasing the flexibility of thermal power plants, with a focus on some retrofit measures to increase the flexibility of aging coal power plants. It also consider specific challenges and opportunities in countries with very high shares of coal power generation, for instance in Poland and South Africa.