Techno-economic analysis of energy storage within network constraint groups for increasing the share of variable renewable energy

Abstract

To meet decarbonization targets, high levels of variable renewables (principally wind) have been connected to the Northern Irish electricity grid. However, wind generation has not been matched with integration solutions, which has led to high volumes of wind energy being dispatched down due to system stability issues and local network constraints. The deployment of energy storage portfolios within constrained areas to increase the consumption of variable renewables is assessed. Within constrained areas (constraint groups), storage portfolios are optimised using practical battery cost parameters to produce a range of portfolios that could alleviate constraints. The value streams that could make the deployment economically feasible are analysed, and the paybacks for the different deployment scenarios are obtained. In managing the variability of grid-integrated renewables, conventional network upgrades are cheaper under extant market arrangements but would only remove constraints: energy storage portfolios could eliminate both constraints and curtailments within each constraint group and could benefit from additional services through equitable market arrangements. In using the storage device for four-function services, the payback period certainly falls within the expected lifespan of the device; there are significant chances of having a payback period that falls within the expected lifespan when using the device for more than one service.