# Potential of Onshore Wind Turbine Inertia in Decarbonising the Future Irish Energy System
###### Abstract  
Power system inertia is an essential part for grid frequency stability and decreases due to the replacement of fossil fuel fired power plants with variable renewable energy sources. This development is not represented sufficiently in unit commitment and economic dispatch models. If considered at all, only synchronous inertia from fossil fuel driven power plants is modelled. This results in increased CO\({}_{2}\) emissions, curtailed renewable energy and high system costs. While wind turbines are a source for synthetic inertia and an important renewable energy source, their capability to provide inertia is not incorporated into energy system models. The work at hand closes this research gap and applies a methodology to depict synthetic inertia provided by wind turbines as part of the optimisation dispatch model. A unit commitment and economic inertia dispatch model of the the all-Island Irish power system is created. The potential of wind inertia is analysed and quantified by assessing CO\({}_{2}\) emissions, curtailed renewable energy and system costs. Results show that synthetic inertia provided by wind turbines can save up 30.99% of the CO\({}_{2}\) emissions, reduce curtailment by up to 39.90% and reduce system costs by 32.72%. economic dispatch modelling; energy system modelling; power system inertia; renewable energy; synthetic inertia; wind energy +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Sciences  
1 Wind Energy Technology Institute (WETI), Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 24943 Flensburg, Germany; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
1 Wind Energy Technology Institute (WETI), Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 24943 Flensburg, Germany; clemens. (ENTSO-E) addresses the need for actions in future power systems to compensate the loss of inherent inertia from synchronous generators [9]. However, the requirement for system inertia can be reduced by introducing energy sources with response times faster than traditional mechanical response from conventional generators [10]. Energy system modelling is an important method in aiding energy system analysis [11]. Its main purpose is to assist in designing, planning and implementing future energy systems [12]. Modelling system inertia in energy system models however, is a topic of minor interest. Table 1 sums up the results of a review of relevant literature in which inertia has been considered as part of energy system models. All papers used unit commitment and (economic) dispatch models applying different constraints to account for minimum system inertia, e.g., ROCOF thresholds or grid frequency nadir thresholds. Actual grid islands like Great Britain or the ERCOT power system were analysed or the interconnected Continental European power systems, which as a whole is a synchronous grid island. In conclusion, the review shows that minimum inertia constraints result in increasing system costs, carbon dioxide emissions and curtailed variable RES. None of the reviewed papers and unit commitment and economic dispatch models include SI provision of WTs. Only synchronous inertia is considered. However, it is concluded that \"[...] synthetic inertia from wind turbines is believed to play an important role in supporting the frequency performance in the future low carbon power system\" [13] as well as that \"As grids integrate more renewable energy, relying on the current method