Cost-Effective Design of Ringwall Storage Hybrid Power Plants: A Real Options Analysis

Sebastian Weibel () and Reinhard Madlener
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Sebastian Weibel: RWTH Aachen University, Postal: Templergraben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany, http://www.rwth-aachen.de/

No 17/2013, FCN Working Papers from E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN)

Abstract: We study the economic viability and optimal sizing and siting of a hybrid plant that combines a ringwall hydro storage system with wind and solar power plants (ringwall storage hybrid power plant, RSHPP). A real options model is introduced to analyze the economics of an onshore RSHPP, and in particular of the varying storage volume in light of the stochastic character of wind and solar power, as well as the optimal investment timing under uncertainty. In fact, many uncertainties arise in such a project. Energy production is determined by the stochastic character of wind and solar power, and affects the optimal size of the storage device. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to analyze the following sources of uncertainty: (i) wind intensity and solar irradiation; (ii) future electricity price; and (iii) investment costs. The results yield the optimal size of the storage device; the energy market on which the operator should sell the electricity generated; numerical examples for two different RSHPP scenarios; and a real options model for analyzing the opportunity to defer the project investment and thus to exploit the value of waiting.

Keywords: Pumped storage hydro power; Hybrid power plant; Real option; Irreversible investment; Risk and uncertainty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2015-07-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:fcnwpa:2013_017

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