Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK

Rouse, James; Xu, Weiqing; Garvey, S.D.; Hoskin, Adam; Swinfen-Styles, Lawrie; C�rdenas, Bruno

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.

Citation

Rouse, J., Xu, W., Garvey, S., Hoskin, A., Swinfen-Styles, L., & Cárdenas, B. (2021). Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK. Renewable Energy, 171, 849-867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 24, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 2, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Deposit Date: Apr 16, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 3, 2023
• Journal: Renewable Energy
• Print ISSN: 0960-1481
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 171
• Pages: 849-867
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149
• Keywords: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5468261
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148121003281?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Energy storage capacity vs. renewable penetration: A study for the UK; Journal Title: Renewable Energy; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.