Effects of inertial response and ramp reserve requirements in the Unit Commitment

An increased use of variable generation technologies (VGTs) such as wind power and photovoltaic (PV) generation can have important effects in system frequency performance during both, normal operation as well as major power imbalances. This has led to new challenges for Transmission System Operators (TSOs), especially regarding the amount and kind of operating reserves to impose in the Unit Commitment (UC) in order to ensure a secure system operation. In this context, this paper presents the effects of including inertial response as well as up-down ramp reserve requirements in the UC. The simulations are done considering the northern Interconnected System of Chile with Plexos, the tool currently used for the scheduling of the generation units by Chilean TSOs.