Risorse distribuite e servizi ancillari per le reti di distribuzione dell’energia elettrica

The replacement of fossil energy sources with renewable ones has become an even more pressing necessity, in a context in which the security of gas supplies, the foundation of the Italian economic system, is jeopardized. In this context, the electricity dispatching reform launched in Italy with the approval of the TIDE is inserted; an all-encompassing document, in force from 1 January 2025 with a gradual implementation timetable, it has the aim of modifying the structure of the electricity market by combining pre-existing regulatory elements and numerous innovations. The ARERA, in presenting this integrated text, summarized its objectives with a single sentence: “to preserve the right to turn on the light at will, we must build a new world in which turning it off is an opportunity.” This slogan contains, in its simplicity, the fundamental concept that modifies the structure of the electricity market, and in particular that of the ancillary services market. With the new integrated electricity dispatching framework, a series of significant changes have been introduced aimed at enhancing market efficiency, flexibility, and participation. Among these, global ancillary services have been opened both to consumption units and to production units with a capacity of less than 10 MW, marking a substantial broadening of market access. Additionally, the framework allows for the establishment of UVAs, facilitating aggregated participation in the electricity system. DSO resources can now also be activated through local flexibility markets, promoting a more dynamic and decentralized grid management. The dual role of the production/consumption units, the main one of producing/consuming energy and the ancillary one of providing services, has made it necessary, in line with the European regulatory framework, to define two potentially (but not necessarily) distinct subjects who carry out the two activities independently. In particular, in accordance with [1] and [2], the following are introduced into the Italian regulation: BRP (responsible for production or consumption planning) and BSP (responsible for the “ancillary” part relating to the services). Users, owners of production or consumption unit, are guaranteed to choose their BSP regardless of the BRP and the coordination scheme introduced by TIDE provides that the action of the former does not hinder the operation of the latter. The TIDE systematizes a distinction already introduced in the pilot projects launched with [3] which, for the first time in Italy, had opened participation in dispatching services to the figure of the “aggregator”. The regulatory framework for the global ancillary services market is more advanced than that for the local ancillary services market. Markets for local ancillary services have been already set up in certain European contexts (e.g., UK’s Piclo, Enera, GOPACS); a few pilot projects have been initiated in Italy by three of the country’s main DSOs (EDGE by e-distribuzione S.p.A., RomeFlex by Areti S.p.A., and MindFlex by Unareti S.p.A.). At their completion, the results of these pilot projects will be reported to ARERA, and the introduction of TIDE is expected to also encompass aspects related to local ancillary services markets. A primary area of research interest in these markets is the definition of resource aggregation perimeters and, consequently, the DSO’s procurement model within these perimeters. In this thesis, the application of the LA concept is proposed to identify these perimeters and to study their effectiveness from both technical and market perspectives