Power System Planning and Operations short courses

Variable renewable energy (VRE) will increase significantly in the future South Africa power system.

Planned wind and solar PV generation represent around a third of total installed capacity by 2030 (1). In the same future, traditional carbon-based generation like coal is likely to significantly decrease.

In certain planning scenarios (2) coal represents only 55% of installed capacity by 2030 and 11% by 2050.
From a technical perspective, central will become distributed, with bi-directional power flow, and dispatchable in response to demand will become variable in response to weather.
Given these changes, planners, operators, managers, and regulators will need to be capacitated in the planning and operation of this changing power system. EPPEI responded to this need by developing this programme to build power system planning and operation capacity within South African industry and government, specifically acknowledging a future power system with significantly increased amounts of VRE generation. The programme is funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and is coordinated by the EPPEI Specialisation Centre for Renewable Energy at Stellenbosch University.
(1) Wright & Calitz 2020 (2) DME 2019
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Modules
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Overview

wdt_ID Title URL Description PLACE
1 Overview of the Power Industry A systemic view of the traditional and future electrical power industry within a broader societal energy context. UCT
2 Smart Grid Technology Overview Introduction to the key concepts of the Smart Grid, including information and communication technologies and their application and integration. SU
4 Power system analysis The fundamentals, models and applications of power system load flow, short-circuit analysis, stability and control. WITS

Planning & Operations

wdt_ID Title URL Description PLACE
1 Power System Asset Management Strategic and tactical approaches to asset management principles and practices applied to a power system with increasing renewables. UP
2 Power System Data Analytics The data analytics life cycle applied to solve power system problems, with special focus on demand and renewable energy short-term forecasting. SU
4 Long-term Power System Planning The principles and techniques informing optimised long-term generation capacity planning, and transmission expansion planning. SU
5 Distribution Customer Concepts Understanding the concepts inherent in the end use of electricity, including load modelling, pricing, technologies, and mini- and microgrids. SU
6 Distribution Network Planning & Operations Distribution network technical planning fundamentals, codes and regulations, and applications, and protection and technical operations. NWU
7 Power System Operations The fundamentals of power system operations in a future with high shares of VRE, and the processes and technologies that support such operations. SU
8 Power System Flexible Operations Operational power system flexibility optimisation where technical systems and electricity markets interact, and flexibly operating power plants. UCT

Technology

wdt_ID Title URL Description PLACE
1 Advanced Photovoltaic Systems Fundamentals, financial modelling, technical design, installation and maintenance of PV systems. SU
2 Wind Energy Fundamentals, resource and feasibility modelling, technical design, project development and grid-integration of Wind Energy systems. SU
4 Energy Storage Systems Fundamentals, applications, technologies, modelling and design, and economics of Energy Storage systems. SU
5 Solar Thermal Energy Systems Fundamentals of solar thermal energy systems, specifically CSP, including concentrator principles and thermal storage applications. SU
6 Smart Grid Communications Communications fundamentals, applications and technologies within the context of the power system. SU
7 Bioenergy The practical and commercial application of various technologies for biomass conversion into bio-energy, ranging from bio-fuels to electricity. SU
8 Hydro and Ocean Energy Ocean and hydro energy associated with the elevation or movement of water, including resources, conversion technologies, and implementation. SU
9 Renewable Energy Systems The scientific, engineering, resource and integration aspects of various types of renewable energy systems at introductory level. SU