Dunkelflaute Explained

In the renewable energy sector, a dunkelflaute (pronounced as /de/,, plural dunkelflauten)[1] is a period of time in which little or no energy can be generated with wind and solar power, because there is neither wind nor sunlight.[2] [3] [4] In meteorology, this is known as anticyclonic gloom.

Meteorology

Unlike a typical anticyclone, dunkelflauten are associated not with clear skies, but with very dense cloud cover (0.7–0.9), consisting of stratus, stratocumulus, and fog. there is no agreed quantitative definition of dunkelflaute.[5] Li et al. define it as wind and solar both below 20% of capacity during a particular 60-minute period. High albedo of low-level stratocumulus clouds in particularsometimes the cloud base height is just 400 meterscan reduce solar irradiation by half.

In the north of Europe, dunkelflauten originate from a static high-pressure system that causes an extremely weak wind combined with overcast weather with stratus or stratocumulus clouds. There are 2–10 dunkelflaute events per year. Most of these events occur from October to February; typically 50 to 150 hours per year, a single event usually lasts up to 24 hours.

In Japan, on the other hand, dunkelflauten are seen in summer and winter. The former is caused by stationary fronts in early summer and autumn rainy seasons (called Baiu and Akisame, respectively),[6] while the latter is caused by arrivals of south-coast cyclones.[7]

Renewable energy effects

These periods are a big issue in energy infrastructure if a significant amount of electricity is generated by solar and wind power.[8] [1] [9] Dunkelflauten can occur simultaneously over a very large region, but are less correlated between geographically distant regions, so multi-national power grid schemes can be helpful. Events that last more than two days over most of Europe happen about every five years.[10] To ensure power during such periods flexible energy sources may be used, energy may be imported, and demand may be adjusted.[11] [12]

For alternative energy sources, countries use fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), hydroelectricity or nuclear power and, less often, energy storage to prevent power outages.[13] [14] [15] [16] Long-term solutions include designing electricity markets to incentivise clean flexible power.[12] A group of countries is following on from Mission Innovation to work together to solve the problem in a clean, low-carbon way by 2030, including looking into carbon capture and storage and the hydrogen economy as possible parts of the solution.[17]

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-05-24. When the wind goes, gas fills in the gap Q1 2021 Quarterly Report . Electric Insights. 2021-06-29. en-GB.
  2. Web site: en-former.com . Dark doldrums: When wind and sun take a break. 31 July 2018 . 2021-05-27.
  3. 2020-06-01 . Investigating the economics of the power sector under high penetration of variable renewable energies . Applied Energy . en . 267 . 113956 . 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113956 . 0306-2619 . Matsuo . Yuhji . Endo . Seiya . Nagatomi . Yu . Shibata . Yoshiaki . Komiyama . Ryoichi . Fujii . Yasumasa . 216301290 .
  4. 2021-12-08 . Climatology of dark doldrums in Japan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews . en . 155 . 111927 . 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111927 . Ohba . Masamichi . Kanno . Yuki . Nohara . Daisuke . 245067748 .
  5. Web site: Was ist die Dunkelflaute? Definition . de . What are the Dark Doldrums? . 2022-12-13 . next-kraftwerke.de.
  6. 2021-12-08. Climatology of dark doldrums in Japan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. en. 155. 111927. 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111927. Ohba . Masamichi . Kanno . Yuki . Nohara . Daisuke . 245067748 .
  7. 2023-01-21. Effects of meteorological and climatological factors on extremely high residual load and possible future changes . Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews . en . 175 . 113188 . 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113188 . Ohba . Masamichi . Kanno . Yuki . Shigeru . Bando .
  8. Web site: What happens with German renewables in the dead of winter?. . live . Tamsin . Walker . 8 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170209102347/https://www.dw.com/en/what-happens-with-german-renewables-in-the-dead-of-winter/a-37462540 . 2021-05-28. 9 February 2017 .
  9. 2023-01-21. Effects of meteorological and climatological factors on extremely high residual load and possible future changes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. en. 175. 113188. 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113188. Ohba . Masamichi . Kanno . Yuki . Shigeru . Bando .
  10. Web site: 2022-12-13 . Can Europe survive the dreaded dunkelflaute? . Tim . McDonnell . 2023-02-01 . Quartz . en.
  11. Modelling 2050: Electricity System Analysis. December 2020 . 12 December 2023 . Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
  12. News: 2022-12-13 . The dreaded Dunkelflaute is no reason to slow UK's energy push . Financial Times . 2022-12-13.
  13. Kosowski . Kai . Diercks . Frank . 2021 . Quo Vadis, Grid Stability? . Atw . 66 . 2 . 16–26 . 1431-5254.
  14. Web site: Ernst. Damien. Big infrastructures for fighting climate change. Université de Liège.
  15. Li. Bowen. Basu. Sukanta. Watson. Simon J.. Russchenberg. Herman W. J.. Mesoscale modeling of a "Dunkelflaute" event. Wind Energy. 24. 1. 2020. 5–23. 1095-4244. 10.1002/we.2554. free.
  16. Abbott. Malcolm. Cohen. Bruce. Issues associated with the possible contribution of battery energy storage in ensuring a stable electricity system. The Electricity Journal. 33. 6. 2020. 106771. 1040-6190. 10.1016/j.tej.2020.106771. 218966955 .
  17. News: Roger . Harrabin . 2021-06-02. Major project aims to clear clean energy hurdle. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-06-03.

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