According to a recent report released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States, energy storage can store excess electricity generated by solar and wind power plants, which means it can contribute to the energy mix when needed most, even in the most conservative variable renewable energy scenarios.



"The Impact of Widely Deploying Energy Storage on Grid Operations" is the sixth report in the Future Energy Storage Research Series released by NREL, which was released earlier this month and provided free of charge. (Access provided at the end of the article)



NREL researchers have modeled a series of scenarios for possible energy storage deployments by 2050, including reference cases, low-cost battery scenarios, low-cost solar photovoltaics, high natural gas costs combined with low-cost batteries, and zero carbon scenarios.



In reference cases, by 2050, the energy storage capacity on the power grid has also increased from approximately 23GW currently installed to 213GW - although lithium-ion battery installation accounts for a significant proportion of the growth rate, pumped storage still accounts for the majority.



In the low-cost battery scenario, this number rises to 384GW/1792GWh.



Up to 932GW/6097GWh in a zero carbon scenario.



Energy storage can serve various applications, from auxiliary power grid services to energy arbitrage and capacity storage services, all of which can play a positive role. However, as the power grid moves towards higher penetration rates of renewable energy, the value of energy arbitrage and capacity storage will be more important and highlighted.



Energy storage, as a peak capacity asset - storing energy generated during periods of cheap and abundant renewable energy, and then outputting it to the grid when demand is high - is a particularly valuable application and will become even more valuable in the future.



It is equally important to note that increasing the deployment of energy storage can reduce the frequency of fossil fuel generators and avoid the impact of pollution caused by the start-up of thermal power plants on public health living near them.





Image: NREL Future Energy Storage Research

Modeling of energy storage and utilization every hour of the day. Energy storage closely follows peak demand, including changes as solar energy becomes more or less available.



In fact, energy storage can improve the efficiency of almost all power generation assets by increasing the utilization of solar and wind power plants, which produce energy at low marginal costs and have the opposite impact on thermal generators.



NREL researchers have found that the synergistic effect with photovoltaics is more consistent than with wind energy, as the daily production of solar energy is more predictable. Predicting wind power generation is more difficult, making integration even more challenging.



NREL experts acknowledge that modeling the power system and considering higher storage and renewable energy deployment is a complex business, and using these resources to balance the grid is also a complex task, but it is feasible.



"We have once again found that future energy systems with large capacity energy storage can successfully achieve 24/7 load balancing. Most importantly, we have found that power systems with high levels of energy storage can operate more effectively by storing other unused renewable energy sources to replace expensive power generation from other sources," said Jennie Jorgenson, the lead researcher of the study.



The focus of this study is on deploying energy storage with a duration of up to 12 hours, and the NREL team suggests that further research into the effects of longer storage periods may be beneficial. It also points out that the relationship between energy storage and transmission infrastructure is complex and requires further research.


As a peak capacity asset, the main demand for energy storage will remain consistent throughout the year, but approximately 10 hours of energy storage will be the most valuable when the grid bears its peak demand. As more peak shaving power generation using fossil fuels is retired, this value is also increasing.



NREL's reporting method includes using the flagship power sector capacity planning model from the laboratory, known as the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS), and combining it with the energy market simulation and forecasting software PLEXOS.



ReEDS is publicly available to assist in modeling and analyzing communities.



NREL's Jennie Jorgenson stated that the key role of energy storage technology during peak demand periods when energy and capacity are most needed in the power system remains consistent across all scenarios and years up to 2050.



Scan the code to send "long-term energy storage" to claim "the impact of widely deployed energy storage on grid operation".



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