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.
Description
Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK - ScienceDirect
%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
}