IEA PVPS Task 14: Solar PV in the 100% Renewable Energy Source based Power System (working period 2018 - 2024)

IEA PVPS Task 14 aims to enhance the international collaborative efforts defining the technical base for photovoltaic solar energy as a cornerstone in the future 100% renewable energy source based electric power system.

Short Description

IEA-PVPS Task 14 was launched in 2010 with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology taking over the role of Operating Agent (OA) from the outset. Under the responsibility of Austria, Task 14 established itself as a global forum for the exchange of experiences for the promotion of photovoltaic solar energy as an essential pillar in an electricity supply system based 100% on renewable energies.

Within the framework of the cooperation between experts from 16 Member States (as of 2019) and representatives of institutions such as the European Commission, technical issues relating to the integration of photovoltaics into the electricity supply system, both at the local distribution grid level and the supra-regional transmission level, are discussed, best practices are presented, and recommendations are developed.

In the current working period III, which runs until 2024, the following overarching topics are in the focus:

  • Integral approaches for the operation and planning of power supply systems based 100% on photovoltaic solar energy and other renewables, especially wind energy. In detail, the experts have set themselves the goal of removing barriers and technical obstacles that may delay further expansion.
  • Integration of photovoltaic solar energy in the smart grid with the aim of using the energy generated optimally and efficiently to cover consumption. Therefore, uniform data models and concepts are to be developed, above all, to use existing communication infrastructures and those currently being developed for photovoltaics and to create the basis for new business models and the supply of network services.

As in the past, activities related to the dissemination of information and the exchange of experience between experts within and outside of Task 14 represent a central part of the work programme in Phase III:

  • Cooperation with electricity utilities, industry partners and other stakeholders to enable technologies and methodologies for the integration of renewable PV technologies into the electricity grids on a broad basis.
  • Organisation and implementation of "Task 14 Grid Integration Workshops" with international experts, grid operators and industry.
  • Joint publications, keynote speeches and own IEA-PVPS Task 14 sessions at international conferences and in scientific journals.
  • Intensive exchange with experts from other IEA technology programmes (TCP), especially the IEA Wind Task 25, which deals with the large-scale integration of wind energy into the power supply system.

Also, at national level, dissemination and exchange of experience are essential parts of the work programme. The following concrete activities and stakeholders are in the focus:

  • Exchange with the National Technology Platforms Smart Grids Austria and Photovoltaik Austria
  • Discussion of the results within the framework of the Expert Pools (EP) or Working Groups (AK) of Österreichs Energie (Austria's Energy):
  • Active participation in the design of the technical framework conditions for Smart Grids and the grid integration of photovoltaic systems
  • Selected presentations in the context of relevant national events
  • Direct incorporation of the findings into ongoing or newly developed national projects with the participation of the Austrian Institute of Technology

The direct involvement of stakeholders ensures that the key positions from the Austrian perspective are considered at the international level.

Through its leading role as operating agent in Phase III, Austria can continue to benefit from the knowledge gained and, by being involved in the ongoing research projects, sustainably expand its technological lead in the field of photovoltaic integration.

Project Images

Terms of use: The pictures listed underneath the header “Project Pictures” originate from the projects in the frame of the programmes City of Tomorrow, Building of Tomorrow and the IEA Research Cooperation. They may be used credited for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC).

Project Partners

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
DI Roland Bründlinger
Giefinggasse 2
A-1210 Vienna
Tel.: +43 (0) 50 550
E-Mail: roland.bruendlinger@ait.ac.at

Participants

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Italiy, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, European Commission