%0 Journal Article %1 cardenas2021energy %A Cárdenas, Bruno %A Swinfen-Styles, Lawrie %A Rouse, James %A Hoskin, Adam %A Xu, Weiqing %A Garvey, S.D. %D 2021 %J Renewable Energy %K electricitynetworks energy energystorage renewables solar wind %P 849-867 %R https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149 %T Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK %U https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148121003281 %V 171 %X This paper explores how the requirement for energy storage capacity will grow as the penetration of renewables increases. The UK’s electric grid is used as a case study. The paper aims to provide insight on what is the most economical solution to decarbonize the electric supply. A two-dimensional study varying the penetrations of wind and solar PV is carried out to identify the most appropriate generation mix for the country. The study is based on 9 years of demand and generation data with a 1hr resolution. It discusses the risk of underestimating the storage capacity needed, by failing to capture the inter-annual variability of renewables and analyzes the economic trade-off between over-generation (curtailment) and storage capacity. It also aims to determine the percentage of over-generation that minimizes the total cost of electricity. Results suggest that the UK could need a storage capacity of approximately 43 TWh to decarbonize its electricity supply. This figure considers a generation mix of 84% wind +16% solar PV, a roundtrip storage efficiency of 70%, and 15% of curtailment. Based on current costs of bulk energy storage technologies, this storage capacity translates into an investment of ∼£165.3 billion or approximately 7% of the country’s GDP.

@article{cardenas2021energy, abstract = {This paper explores how the requirement for energy storage capacity will grow as the penetration of renewables increases. The UK’s electric grid is used as a case study. The paper aims to provide insight on what is the most economical solution to decarbonize the electric supply. A two-dimensional study varying the penetrations of wind and solar PV is carried out to identify the most appropriate generation mix for the country. The study is based on 9 years of demand and generation data with a 1hr resolution. It discusses the risk of underestimating the storage capacity needed, by failing to capture the inter-annual variability of renewables and analyzes the economic trade-off between over-generation (curtailment) and storage capacity. It also aims to determine the percentage of over-generation that minimizes the total cost of electricity. Results suggest that the UK could need a storage capacity of approximately 43 TWh to decarbonize its electricity supply. This figure considers a generation mix of 84% wind +16% solar PV, a roundtrip storage efficiency of 70%, and 15% of curtailment. Based on current costs of bulk energy storage technologies, this storage capacity translates into an investment of ∼£165.3 billion or approximately 7% of the country’s GDP.}, added-at = {2021-04-06T16:26:43.000+0200}, author = {Cárdenas, Bruno and Swinfen-Styles, Lawrie and Rouse, James and Hoskin, Adam and Xu, Weiqing and Garvey, S.D.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2a86c1a27d4e89b7f976ed12861b6c6b9/pbett}, description = {Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK - ScienceDirect}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149}, interhash = {0b05b3623af7f8c25d6fa87ea3c13f71}, intrahash = {a86c1a27d4e89b7f976ed12861b6c6b9}, issn = {0960-1481}, journal = {Renewable Energy}, keywords = {electricitynetworks energy energystorage renewables solar wind}, pages = {849-867}, timestamp = {2021-04-06T16:26:43.000+0200}, title = {Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148121003281}, volume = 171, year = 2021 }