Power to Gas and Pumped Hydro Storage Potential in Latvia

Reaching 20/20/20 aim in Latvia without additional integration of renewable resources into electrical grid is impossible. According to energy plans installed wind power basis in Baltics will be 1566 MW. However introducing such amount of wind energy in grid is not possible without serious rearrangement in power transmission and distribution system, since wind power brings certain level of vulnerability into electrical grid due to its stochastic nature. Thus it is important to analyze possibilities of electrical grid management, especially large energy storage systems that could deal with large fluctuations in electrical system caused by wind power plants. The methodology is based on screening approach. This publication compares already available resources in Latvia which, through adaption could be used for grid management. Selected technologies are power-to-gas (P2G), due to existing gas infrastructure and storage capacities, and pumped hydro storage (PHS), due to large hydropower stations on river Daugava.