A Perspective on Energy Storage and Other Means to Integrate Increasing Shares of Renewable Electricity Generation

Green ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arndt Neuhaus ◽  
Frank-Detlef Drake ◽  
Gunnar Hoffmann ◽  
Friedrich Schulte

AbstractThe transition to a sustainable electricity supply from renewable energy sources (RES) imposes major technical and economic challenges upon market players and the legislator. In particular the rapid growth of volatile wind power and photovoltaic generation requires a high level of flexibility of the entire electricity system, therefore major investments in infrastructures are needed to maintain system stability. This raises the important question about the role that central large-scale energy storage and/or small-scale distributed storage (“energy storage at home”) are going to play in the energy transition. Economic analyses show that the importance of energy storage is going to be rather limited in the medium term. Especially competing options like intelligent grid extension and flexible operation of power plants are expected to remain favourable. Nonetheless additional storage capacities are required if the share of RES substantially exceeds 50% in the long term. Due to the fundamental significance of energy storages, R&D considers a broad variety of types each suitable for a specific class of application.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3296
Author(s):  
Carlos García-Santacruz ◽  
Luis Galván ◽  
Juan M. Carrasco ◽  
Eduardo Galván

Energy storage systems are expected to play a fundamental part in the integration of increasing renewable energy sources into the electric system. They are already used in power plants for different purposes, such as absorbing the effect of intermittent energy sources or providing ancillary services. For this reason, it is imperative to research managing and sizing methods that make power plants with storage viable and profitable projects. In this paper, a managing method is presented, where particle swarm optimisation is used to reach maximum profits. This method is compared to expert systems, proving that the former achieves better results, while respecting similar rules. The paper further presents a sizing method which uses the previous one to make the power plant as profitable as possible. Finally, both methods are tested through simulations to show their potential.


Author(s):  
Miroslav P. Petrov ◽  
Reza Arghandeh ◽  
Robert Broadwater

Distributed energy storage has been recognized as a valuable and often indispensable complement to small-scale power generation based on renewable energy sources. Small-scale energy storage positioned at the demand side would open the possibility for enhanced predictability of power output and easier integration of small-scale intermittent generators into functioning electricity markets, as well as offering inherent peak shaving abilities for mitigating contingencies and blackouts, for reducing transmission losses in local networks, profit optimization and generally allowing tighter utility control on renewable energy generation. Distributed energy storage at affordable costs and of low environmental footprint is a necessary prerequisite for the wider deployment of renewable energy and its deeper penetration into local networks. Thermodynamic energy storage in the form of compressed air is an alternative to electrochemical energy storage in batteries and has been evaluated in various studies and tested commercially on a large scale. Distributed compressed air energy storage (DCAES) systems in combination with renewable energy generators installed at residential homes, public or commercial buildings are a viable alternative to large-scale energy storage, moreover promising lower specific investment than batteries if a mass-market is established. Flexible control methods can be applied to DCAES units, resulting in a complex system running either independently for home power supply, or as a unified and centrally controlled utility-scale energy storage entity. This study aims at conceptualizing the plausible distributed compressed-air energy storage units, examining the feasibility for their practical implementation and analyzing their behavior, as well as devising the possible control strategies for optimal utilization of grid-integrated renewable energy sources at small scales. Results show that overall energy storage efficiency of around 70% can be achieved with comparatively simple solutions, offering less technical challenges and lower specific costs than comparable electrical battery systems. Furthermore, smart load management for improving the dispatchability can bring additional benefits by profit optimization and decrease the payback time substantially.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6076
Author(s):  
Lazar Šćekić ◽  
Saša Mujović ◽  
Vladan Radulović

Besides many benefits deriving from the energy transition process, it is not uncommon for modern power systems to be faced with difficulties in their operation. The issues are dominantly related to the non-dispatchable nature of renewable energy sources (RES) and the mismatching between electricity generation and load demand. As a consequence of a constant peak load growth, this problem is particularly pronounced during the daily peak hours. Therefore, it is of great importance to conduct all necessary activities within the system in order to preserve the system stability and continuity of operation. Energy storage systems have been recognized as a major facilitator of renewable energy, by providing additional operational flexibility. Since pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) accounts for almost 97% of the world’s storage capacity, in this paper, we have investigated the benefits of using pumped-storage hydropower in modern power systems characterized by high penetration of RES and the liberalized electricity market. A novel operation algorithm has been developed which finds the balance between providing additional flexibility by alleviating the peak load and obtaining financial revenue to justify the high investment costs associated with PHES. The algorithm has been tested for the daily and monthly operation of the Tonstad PHES in the dynamic environment of the Norwegian power system.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Duca ◽  
Giuseppe Toscano ◽  
Andrea Pizzi ◽  
Giorgio Rossini ◽  
Sara Fabrizi ◽  
...  

The role of biomass for increasing renewable energy sources mix is considered fundamental, despite some negative environmental impact of first-generation biofuels. The use of biomass obtained in a more sustainable way, as represented by agricultural wastes, should be favoured. The Mediterranean area and Italy in particular offer a large amount of vineyard pruning residues that can be converted into bioenergy. Since vineyards are exposed to treatments based on copper (Cu) and zinc, these metals last in wood residues during pruning and accumulate in the soil. In this study an evaluation of the concentrations of copper and other heavy metals in grapevine pruning wastes, when treated with common plant protection products, was carried out. The study was also extended to the soil, being potentially mixed to the biomass in the case of mechanical collection of pruning residues. The grapevine residues free of impurities that were collected during this study have typical values of copper in pruning wood, varying from 8.5 mg kg<sup>–1</sup> when treated with low Cu product, to 19.2 mg kg<sup>–1</sup> when treated with high Cu product. It was observed that contaminations during pruning with soil could increase the amount of copper in the residues. More in detail, every percentage point of soil that winds up on pruning residues involves an increase of 1 mg of Cu every kg of biomass. For this reason, we recommend the use of appropriate systems for the harvest of grapevine residues, particularly mechanical systems that avoid soil lifting. Moreover, we suggest the use of pruning residues preferably in large-scale power plants with appropriate emission filters instead of small-scale domestic boilers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Stöckl ◽  
Wolf-Peter Schill ◽  
Alexander Zerrahn

AbstractGreen hydrogen can help to decarbonize parts of the transportation sector, but its power sector interactions are not well understood so far. It may contribute to integrating variable renewable energy sources if production is sufficiently flexible in time. Using an open-source co-optimization model of the power sector and four options for supplying hydrogen at German filling stations, we find a trade-off between energy efficiency and temporal flexibility. For lower shares of renewables and hydrogen, more energy-efficient and less flexible small-scale on-site electrolysis is optimal. For higher shares of renewables and/or hydrogen, more flexible but less energy-efficient large-scale hydrogen supply chains gain importance, as they allow to temporally disentangle hydrogen production from demand via storage. Liquid hydrogen emerges as particularly beneficial, followed by liquid organic hydrogen carriers and gaseous hydrogen. Large-scale hydrogen supply chains can deliver substantial power sector benefits, mainly through reduced renewable curtailment. Energy modelers and system planners should consider the distinct flexibility characteristics of hydrogen supply chains in more detail when assessing the role of green hydrogen in future energy transition scenarios. We also propose two alternative cost and emission metrics which could be useful in future analyses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-97
Author(s):  
Melis Aras

The energy transition in Europe requires not only the implementation of technological innovations to reduce carbon emissions but also the decentralised extension of these innovations throughout the continent, as demonstrated by the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package. However, decentralised energy generation, and specifically electricity generation, as it gives rise to new players and interactions, also requires a review of the energy planning process. In this sense, governance becomes the key concept for understanding the implementation of the energy transition in a territory. This is particularly visible in a cross-border setting, especially considering cross-border cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources (RES) provides the necessary elements to determine the criteria of local regulation between the different levels of governance. In light of the current legal framework in France, this paper presents the institutional framework of the multi-level governance of the RES development planning process. It concludes that it is quite conceivable for the rationales of governance at the local level (decentralisation) and the large-scale operation of a large interconnected network (Europeanisation) to coexist.


2013 ◽  
Vol 391 ◽  
pp. 261-264
Author(s):  
Xiao Ning Xu ◽  
Xue Song Zhou

The classification and application range of energy storage technology are briefly introduced. Challenges for large-scale wind power integration are summarized. With regard to the problems in system stability, low voltage ride-through ability of wind the turbine generator, and power quality, the paper elaborated some solutions based on energy storage technology, and analyzed their advantages and disadvantages. With the character of energy storage technology combined, the paper put forward some advice of energy storage technology applying in wind power integration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 274 ◽  
pp. 115213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Bullich-Massagué ◽  
Francisco-Javier Cifuentes-García ◽  
Ignacio Glenny-Crende ◽  
Marc Cheah-Mañé ◽  
Mònica Aragüés-Peñalba ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Angela Nastevska ◽  
Jovana Jovanova ◽  
Mary Frecker

Abstract Large scale structures can benefit from the design of compliant joints that can provide flexibility and adaptability. A high level of deformation is achieved locally with the design of flexures in compliant mechanisms. Additionally, by introducing contact-aided compliant mechanisms, nonlinear bending stiffness is achieved to make the joints flexible in one direction and stiff in the opposite one. All these concepts have been explored in small scale engineering design, but they have not been applied to large scale structures. In this paper the design of a large scale compliant mechanism is proposed for novel design of a foldable shipping container. The superelasticity of nickel titanium is shown to be beneficial in designing the joints of the compliant mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8484
Author(s):  
Seok-Ho Song ◽  
Jin-Young Heo ◽  
Jeong-Ik Lee

A nuclear power plant is one of the power sources that shares a large portion of base-load. However, as the proportion of renewable energy increases, nuclear power plants will be required to generate power more flexibly due to the intermittency of the renewable energy sources. This paper reviews a layout thermally integrating the liquid air energy storage system with a nuclear power plant. To evaluate the performance realistically while optimizing the layout, operating nuclear power plant conditions are used. After revisiting the analysis, the optimized performance of the proposed system is predicted to achieve 59.96% of the round-trip efficiency. However, it is further shown that external environmental conditions could deteriorate the performance. For the design of liquid air energy storage-nuclear power plant integrated systems, both the steam properties of the linked plants and external factors should be considered.


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