Applications – Stationary | Storage technologies: Batteries—applications stationary

Abstract

In the field of stationary energy storage, several technologies can cover the required demand for power on the time scale from seconds to days and a spectrum from kW to multiple GW. In this regime, stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) are becoming increasingly important, due to the demand for flexibility in energy systems with high penetrations of fluctuating renewable energies or dynamics from trading in markets. In addition, storage elements can help to increase security of supply and stability of operation in electrical power grids. In the range of several orders of magnitude from kW to GW, battery systems can provide necessary flexibility for electrical supply infrastructure due to their modular character and independence from natural conditions such as altitude. They can be dispatched for different dynamic applications that can be assigned to four service areas: the provision of ancillary services, the support for generation with bulk storage services, different services to transmission infrastructure at multiple voltage levels, and a great variety of services that can be summarized as end-user energy management services to optimize local generation, energy purchase, power demand, and, finally, cost. The article first presents the general demand for flexibility and explains how stationary batteries can tender the need compared to alternatives. Then the four service areas are introduced with a detailed introduction of their respective services in which batteries can deliver added value focusing on the technology-specific properties. The last section evaluates the suitability of the most common battery technologies for stationary application.