Network-Constrained Renewable Integration in Tunisia: A Deterministic Assessment of Storage Flexibility and Transmission Deliverability

H. Berriri, O. Fekih, M. Nouira, L. Olmos, A. Ramos, M.B. Chiekh, M.S. Guellouz, I. Graabak

Energies Vol. 19, nº. 17, pp. 4113

Summary:

High renewable-energy shares do not, by themselves, guarantee that renewable electricity can be absorbed, shifted, and delivered through a constrained network. This study uses openTEPES for a deterministic 8736 h assessment of Tunisia’s 2035 power system, represented by 47 domestic nodes. It compares matched cases without and with endogenous battery energy storage system (BESS) investment and evaluates eight sensitivity families. In the no-BESS case, 265.996 GWh of modelled energy not served (ENS) and 1120.263 GWh of renewable curtailment occur in disjoint hours, indicating a temporal mismatch between scarcity and surplus. Under the central assumptions, the model selects 3.590 GW/14.361 GWh of BESS, reducing modelled ENS to zero under the represented deterministic conditions and renewable curtailment to 42.362 GWh. The sensitivity analysis shows that the model-selected BESS capacity and location, together with transmission exposure, depend strongly on demand, imposed duration, renewable-profile stress, interconnection availability, and candidate siting. Within the modelled scenario space, storage, internal transmission, and cross-border exchange therefore provide complementary forms of flexibility. The central BESS quantity is interpreted as a conditional planning benchmark, not as evidence of probabilistic adequacy or a national procurement target.

Spanish layman's summary:

El estudio muestra que una alta penetración de energías renovables no garantiza, por sí sola, la integración eficiente de la electricidad en la red. Los sistemas de almacenamiento con baterías, junto con el refuerzo de la transmisión y las interconexiones, aportan flexibilidad complementaria para reducir los desajustes entre la generación y la demanda.

English layman's summary:

The study shows that a high share of renewable energy alone does not guarantee its efficient integration into the power system. Battery storage, together with transmission network enhancements and cross-border interconnections, provides complementary flexibility to better balance electricity supply and demand.

 

Keywords: battery energy storage system; renewable curtailment; energy not served; transmission deliverability; nodal power-system planning; openTEPES

JCR-JIF Impact Factor and WoS quartile: 3,900 - Q3 (2025)

DOI reference: https://doi.org/10.3390/en19174113

Published on paper: September 2026.

Published on-line: August 2026.

Citation:
H. Berriri, O. Fekih, M. Nouira, L. Olmos, A. Ramos, M.B. Chiekh, M.S. Guellouz, I. Graabak, "Network-Constrained Renewable Integration in Tunisia: A Deterministic Assessment of Storage Flexibility and Transmission Deliverability", Energies, Vol. 19, nº. 17, pp. 4113, September 2026. [Online: August 2026] doi: 10.3390/en19174113