Optimization of energy storage and system flexibility in the context of the energy transition: Germany’s power grid as a case study

In this work we explore the ramifications of incoming changes brought by the energy transition, most notably the increased penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) and phase-out of nuclear and other conventional electricity sources. The power grid will require additional flexibility capabilities to accommodate such changes, as the mismatch between generation and demand is bound to increase. Through mathematical modeling and optimization, we simulate the German power grid and investigate the requirements of on-grid large-scale storage. Different scenarios are evaluated up to 2050, when 80% of the gross electricity consumption is planned to be provided by renewable energy. Dispatchable power plants will play a key role in the transition to an energy mix with high shares of VRE. Around 120 GW of additional large-scale storage are required until 2050. Between the electrochemical technologies evaluated, lithium-ion was the best candidate. A strong reliance on dispatchables was observed, in case the commissioning of VRE plants goes slower than planned. Energy curtailment increases with VRE shares, with up to 14 TWh curtailed in high VRE scenarios in 2050.

Electrochemical study of TiO2 in aqueous AlCl3 electrolyte via vacuum impregnation for superior high-rate electrode performance

This communication elucidates the charge storage mechanism of a TiO2 electrode in 1 mol dm− 3 AlCl3 for use in aqueous-ion batteries. Cyclic voltammetry studies suggest a surface contribution to charge storage and that cycle life can be improved by limiting the potential ≥ − 1.0 V vs SCE. In order to enhance this surface contribution, a simple vacuum impregnation technique was employed to improve electrode-electrolyte contact. This resulted in a significant improvement in the high rate performance of TiO2, where a capacity of 15 mA h g− 1 was maintained at the very high specific current of 40 A g− 1, a decrease of only 25% from when the electrode was cycled at 1 A g− 1. The vacuum impregnation process was also applied to copper-hexacyanoferrate, envisaged as a possible positive electrode, again resulting in significant improvements to high-rate performance. This demonstrates the potential for using this simple technique for improving electrode performance in other aqueous electrolyte battery systems.

A review of the applications of fuel cells in microgrids: opportunities and challenges

Since the last two decades, microgrid, as one typical structure in smart grid framework, has been receiving increasing attention in the world. Meanwhile, fuel cell (FC), as one promising power source, has redrawn the attention of both academia and industry since the beginning of 21th century. Some encouraging achievements in FC technology have been realized thanks to the efforts taken in the last years. Due to this, it is seen that FC, as a clean and efficient energy source, is penetrating into different fields. Among the applications, integrating FCs into microgrids has shown interesting advantages on improving the performance of microgrids and promoting the use of the hydrogen energy. Some ongoing projects have shown that FCs of different power scales can be integrated into microgrids smartly and in different manners. Along with the advantages carried by the combination of the two technologies, many challenges lying on multiple domains are faced in the process. The challenges can be from the FC, the microgrid, and the integration of these two technologies. In this review paper, the advantages of integrating FCs into microgrids are summarized after recalling the knowledge background of FC. The challenges and ongoing researches on FCs and FCs based microgrids are then reviewed. Based on the analysis, the research directions are then extracted in view of the challenges.