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

Bruno Cárdenas, Lawrie Swinfen-Styles, James Rouse, Adam Hoskin, Weiqing Xu and S.D. Garvey

Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 171, issue C, 849-867

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.

Keywords: Renewable penetration; Energy storage capacity; Grid flexibility; Levelized cost of electricity; 100% renewable Electricity; Storage duration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:171:y:2021:i:c:p:849-867

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.149

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