The rapid growth in the installed capacity of energy storage systems deployed around the world in recent years, in addition to bringing many benefits, has also brought more complex challenges to data availability and resource planning for operators operating grid and distribution networks.
About 4,150MW of energy storage systems were added to the grids in the US states of California and Texas, the UK and Australia last year. The energy storage market in other U.S. states and countries in Europe is growing slowly but catching up.
The Director of Distributed Energy and Energy Storage at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has highlighted a problem that independent system operators (ISOs) in the United States will face as storage capacity grows.
He explained, “One day, the independent system operator (ISO) will have to understand the duration of the energy storage system and how much energy storage capacity. Independent system operators (ISOs) pose challenges,”
This was echoed by market intelligence agency Modo when discussing grid operations in the UK. “As the installed capacity of energy storage systems grows, distribution networks will face significant challenges in obtaining the data they need to manage their networks – such as storage availability, installed capacity and storage capacity. The battery storage system for the power system doesn’t have any visibility. As we use more local services, that’s going to be a big problem.”
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) said the recent addition of 3GW of battery energy storage to the grid, and the increase in installed capacity of energy storage systems has complicated resource adequacy planning, which aims to ensure that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) (CAISO) has sufficient generation resources to meet demand. Energy storage systems upend the premise of resource adequacy, as it is no longer just about the amount of electricity generated in a given time. Grid operators must also ensure that there is enough energy to charge energy storage systems and that these storage systems have enough power to provide adequate generation capacity around the clock. Developing energy storage technologies that last longer will help. The charge-discharge round-trip efficiency of the energy storage system must also be considered, further complicating the energy storage requirements set by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems account for 85% to 95% of the energy storage market. Other energy storage technologies (especially long-term energy storage systems) may change the market pattern and application scenarios of energy storage in the future.
