The Requirement of Indonesian Grid Code Adaptation toward Variable Renewable Energy Penetration (case study: Solar Power Plant in Kupang Sub System)

Solar Power Plant (SPP) and Wind Power Plant (WPP) are parts of the Renewable Power Plant (REPP) which are quite popular and have been developed and operated widely throughout the world because of its advantages as clean energy, low cost fuel, and increasingly economical investment costs. In the last few years in Indonesia, SPP and WPP have started to be developed in several areas in Indonesia. Based on the Long-Term Planning Document for Electricity Development, it is planned that in 2025 around 23% of the total energy mix in Indonesia will come from REPP. But both types of plants have intermittent/ variable characteristics that can change quickly according to weather conditions and solar intensity which naturally cannot be controlled by the power system operator. This condition is categorized as Variable Renewable Energy (VRE). This intermittent nature has the potential to endanger the power system stability and reliability. One of the main cause is the lack of provisions in the Grid Code that clearly regulates the operation of VRE. This has led to many studies to find specific and appropriate adaptation of the existing Grid Code that are unique to each network based on its own characteristics, the availability of local natural resources, and government policies.This paper presents a brief literature review on the Grid Code that has been applied in Indonesia. This paper also explain the characteristics of SPP. Furthermore, this paper presents comprehensive impact of SPP operations in the Kupang sub-system, in terms of operating patterns and power system stability. This study will be used as a preliminary study in the formulation of the technical parameters of the Indonesian Grid Code Adaptation toward Variable Renewable Energy Penetration.