Abstract
Conference Title: 2017 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM) Conference Start Date: 2017, July 16 Conference End Date: 2017, July 20 Conference Location: Chicago, IL, USA Central America has the highest penetration of non-hydro renewable energy in the Western hemisphere. Grid adequacy evaluations are critical for such countries due to accelerating demand growth, constrained financial resources, and the inherent variability of renewables. A regional interconnection (SIEPAC) was constructed in the region to allow cooperation and coordination between national grids. This study calculates the Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE) and Effective Load Carrying Capacities (ELCC) for three countries connected to SIEPAC (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) for years 2013–2015. The results show that Costa Rica and Panama have significant excess capacities deriving mostly from hydropower. Further, results show that regional excess capacity sharing would allow Nicaragua to reduce its thermal capacity while maintaining an acceptable LOLE. Specifically, at current capacity levels and expected demand growth, Nicaragua in 2015 only required 31% of its thermal capacity and would not require its full thermal capacity until 2025.