The economic value of energy storage systems

What is included in an economic analysis of energy storage systems?

An economic analysis of energy storage systems should clearly articulate what components are included in the scope of cost. The major components of an energy storage system are batteries, power conversion system, transformer, switchgear, and monitoring and control. The schematic below shows these components.

What are the economics of energy storage systems?

The economics of energy storage systems is dependent on the services and markets that exist on the electrical grid. These value streams can vary by region, electrical system, and grid domain (i.e., transmission, distribution, customer-sited).

Do energy storage systems provide value to the energy system?

In general, energy storage systems can provide value to the energy system by reducing its total system cost; and reducing risk for any investment and operation. This paper discusses total system cost reduction in an idealised model without considering risks.

Are energy storage technologies valuable?

Regardless of the low or high LCOS indication, the ‘variable EP scenario’ shows that all included energy storage technologies are valuable. As noted earlier, we define a technology as valuable if it reduces the total system costs. This is the case if a technology is part of an optimised energy system.

What is the cost analysis of energy storage?

We categorise the cost analysis of energy storage into two groups based on the methodology used: while one solely estimates the cost of storage components or systems, the other additionally considers the charging cost, such as the levelised cost approaches.

Why is energy storage important?

Energy storage may be a critical component to even out demand and supply by proper integration of VARET into the electricity system. Storage could play an important part when transforming our whole energy system into a more environmentally benign and finally fully sustainable one.