The four phases of the deployment of battery energy storage systems in the United States

China Energy Storage Network News: According to foreign media reports, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently launched a future research program for the energy storage industry to create a framework for substantially increasing the deployment of energy storage systems in the future grid The important questions that played an important role in this article were answered.

The first report in this series outlines the four development stages of energy storage deployment. Each stage is defined by the continuous discharge time of the battery energy storage system and its role in the grid. Nate Blair, director of the NREL Distributed Systems and Energy Storage Research Group, said that these stages can help stakeholders involved in the development of battery energy storage systems understand and use some common terms when discussing grid operations.


Although NREL provides useful analysis on how the power grid and its energy storage systems are developing, researchers from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) pointed out that other potential impacts may include the reliability and predictability of different energy storage technology choices, and even the future The energy policy may put forward requirements. These other factors may play a greater role in determining what energy storage technology to use and when to deploy.

Blai said, “Everyone from technologists to policy makers is contributing to the deployment of more and more battery energy storage systems in the U.S. grid. Frankly speaking, there are many opinions about how the energy storage market will develop, and we hope Provide as much rigor as possible for this analysis."

In a survey report evaluating how energy storage systems adapt to the grid, the deployment of battery energy storage systems is divided into four "phases." The first stage is used as a backup power supply, and the continuous discharge time is about 1 hour; the second stage is to meet the peak capacity, and the continuous discharge time is 2 to 6 hours; the second stage is the energy time shift, and the continuous discharge time is 4 to 12 hours; The second stage is to provide multi-day long-term energy storage or meet seasonal capacity requirements, and the continuous discharge time is more than 12 hours.

Each stage is arranged in chronological order, because the battery energy storage system of 12 hours or more may be the last to appear in the grid. However, Paul Denholm, one of the co-authors of this report and the chief energy analyst of the NREL Strategic Energy Analysis Center Power Grid Systems Group, said that some battery energy storage systems may overlap (battery energy storage systems with a continuous discharge time of 2 to 6 hours may be Battery energy storage systems with a continuous discharge time of less than 1 hour appear on the grid at the same time), and the application of each energy storage system depends on the choice of the region.

Denholm said: "But there is no guarantee that all stages will happen. If a long-term energy storage system of more than 8 hours can bring cost advantages, it will help us achieve our carbon emission targets. But in the short term, we call it the second There is still a long way to go for the development of battery energy storage systems (or 2 to 6 hours battery energy storage systems) in the phase."

Denholm emphasized that dividing these potential battery energy storage system options into four stages or categories does not mean that there is a need to specify how the US energy storage market should develop. This is the senior project manager of distributed energy resources at the American Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Haresh Kamath noticed this, he did not participate in this investigation. He said, "NRELs work here illustrates the different stages of development in the energy storage market."

The report also excludes other factors that may affect which battery energy storage systems enter the grid and when. Kamath believes that excessive emphasis on battery functions does not necessarily explain which battery technologies are more reliable or predictable. These two factors may become greater driving forces in the future.

According to Andrew Maxson, Energy Storage Project Manager of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), there are currently no discussions on policies or financial incentives that will make renewable energy generation more common. If the United States wants to achieve the 100% renewable energy target, these factors are very important. May play an important role. He said that since the desire or requirement to operate a low-carbon grid promotes the deployment of renewable energy power generation facilities, and its development in turn supports the deployment of battery energy storage projects, potential regulatory scenarios must also take into account the future development of battery energy storage systems. factor.

This NREL report also discusses other factors affecting the deployment of battery energy storage systems, including the technological development of different batteries.

Paul Albertus, an assistant professor and chemical engineer at the University of Maryland, said that the future development of battery energy storage systems is also difficult to predict. Although the energy storage system and the relationship with renewable energy power generation facilities can help decarbonize the grid, the full use of wind power and solar power will become a challenge. Some experts believe that 100% renewable energy generation should not be the goal, and other energy technologies such as nuclear power generation and carbon capture must also play a role.

Albertus said that in the dialogue about future energy policy options, some people have high expectations for the establishment of a highly renewable power grid. However, when it comes to market forces views on the development of the power grid and the demand for battery energy storage systems, the report released by NREL sums up this situation well. Although the energy storage project with a continuous discharge time of 2 to 4 hours has been launched and can be operated, and a battery energy storage system with a continuous discharge time of up to 12 hours can be deployed, even for battery energy storage projects with a continuous discharge time of more than 15 to 20 hours In other words, there are not many business cases for actual deployment.

Author: Bo Xun Source: China Energy Storage Network