solar storage: the new resilient clean energy technology - battery energy storage system

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Paul, project director, clean energy group)
The Clean Energy Group's new resilient power project is helping states solve the problem of how to provide resilient power to key infrastructure, so in a natural disaster that destroys parts of the grid, the required services can be provided.
These key services include food, water, shelter, heating and refrigeration, medical and emergency services, communications and refueling.
Facilities available for these services include community buildings, schools, supermarkets, gas stations, community towers and hospitals.
There are many combinations of technologies and technologies that can be used to provide flexible power for critical facilities.
One way is to add solar PV to the facility using a battery storage backup system.
Because people are very interested in solar and energy storage systems and have questions about how they operate and how they interact with the grid, we decided to provide the following introductory knowledge.
We also describe new business models and companies that are starting to move into the solar storage space and take advantage of new sources of revenue, which could change the game of energy storage financing.
Solar/Storage 101 assume that you have a large facility or campus with quite a large PV system on site (
Local generation).
When the sun shines, the photovoltaic system generates electricity, which is mainly to power the facilities at noon and early afternoon.
During this period, if the power generation of the photovoltaic system exceeds the local demand, excess power generation will be sold to the grid under the net metering contract.
For example, when local power generation does not meet the needs of facilities, the grid provides electricity to bridge the gap.
This is very effective for local facilities;
All electricity needs are met.
However, for power grid operators who must make the power supply meet the demand from time to time, the photovoltaic system will cause problems to power the grid, because the PV output is very variable in a very short period of time.
Grid operators cannot predict how much power the PV system will generate at any given moment.
If there happens to be a cloud between the sun and the PV module, the power generated by the PV system will drop rapidly, and the grid operator must be prepared to rotate the reserve and intervene at any time to make up for the sudden loss of power generation.
If this is not the case, local facilities and other facilities on the Internet will experience constant fluctuations in electricity.
If this photovoltaic system is a grid
The scale system that sells electricity to the power grid under the power purchase agreement, the same variability problem will exist, but the scale will be larger.
In the case of high penetration of wind energy and solar energy into the grid, such variable power generation may cause major problems to the grid.
Going back to the local facility and its photovoltaic system, one way we can mitigate the problems caused by photovoltaic power generation is to add battery storage to the system.
Now, when local power generation exceeds local demand, excess power is first used to charge the battery.
When the battery is fully charged, the excess power is output to the grid.
If the temporary cloud is overhead, the photovoltaic/battery storage system will continue to output power stably, as the system can recover power from the battery to compensate for the instantaneous drop in solar power generation.
From the perspective of grid operators, this is a more stable system.
The output of solar/storage systems now looks more like the output of schedulable natural gas, coal, nuclear or hydro-power plants, PV/storage system owners can now sell electricity to markets that were previously not open due to the increase in batteries.
In order to provide flexible power supply benefits for our local facilities, we have added isolation (or 'island')
PV/storage system in case of power grid failure.
When the larger grid is turned off due to a natural disaster, a switch is thrown, the local circuit is decoupled, and it is allowed to continue working as an isolation unit.
In this case, local facilities need to be
Basic load, in order to extend the life of the battery, only maintain its critical load power supply.
For example, in the university example, critical loads may include lighting and HVAC equipment in buildings designated as community emergency shelters.
Other loads, such as non-
Key buildings (
Library, computer lab, theater, etc. )
No power on.
When the sun shines, the photovoltaic system will continue to charge the battery and the key load, and when the solar energy is insufficient, the battery will power the key load.
In order for the system to work, the PV needs to be large enough in order to power the critical load and charge the battery during the daily sunshine peak;
The battery needs to be in sufficient size to carry critical loads overnight and the following afternoon.
In order to make this system more flexible, we can add a supplementary generator, such as a gas generator. or biomass-
A power micro turbine or engine operating in CHP mode (
Where waste heat is captured and used for space heating).
We actually have a micro-grid now.
This simple system will become more complex, but the cost will also increase.
This approach works when considering additional revenue streams from grid services.
If the PV/storage system is located in the area of FERC Orders that meet the requirements for fair compensation for grid services, battery storage can earn considerable revenue by selling ancillary services to the grid, such as frequency regulation services.
In some areas, it can also carry out power arbitrage to buy cheap power when it is powered off
Peak time and drain it at peak demand time when it is most valuable. Since grid-
Destructive natural disasters rarely occur, and the battery will be able to generate these revenue streams for most of its life.
This greatly improves the cost/benefit calculation of photovoltaic/storage systems.
Decisions on whether to provide services to the grid or local facilities will be made on an economic basis, depending on whether more money can be made by providing grid services, or save by providing power to the host.
If the grid is closed, the PV/storage system will be as isolated as before, providing valuable key services to the entire community.
As more grid operators comply with the above FERC Orders, the new third-
Party battery companies are beginning to take advantage of the revenue streams that come with these regulatory changes.
The two companies operating in this area are solar grid storage and energy security partners.
These companies offer free batteries and inverters, paired with photovoltaic or wind turbines.
Their business model is based on providing grid services, which can be delivered very quickly and accurately by energy storage systems like batteries.
They are also engaged in electricity arbitrage.
The advantage of renewable generators is that the output of the combined system is smoother and more schedulable due to the existence of energy storage;
In the case of a micro-grid, the battery helps to integrate and balance local renewable power generation with other generators and loads.
An example of this model is the new Konterra solar micro-grid in Maryland.
This new business model can make it easier for customers to add storage to an existing solar system, or build storage into a new system, through a third lease arrangement similar
The party model that makes PV widely popular and popular.
As more regions of the country comply with new FERC Orders, cost/benefit calculations for energy storage will continue to improve
Cutting-edge costs will continue to decline, eliminating the main financing barriers to the purchase of expensive equipment.
The scale of the solar industry is growing rapidly;
Through creative technology and financial engineering, solar storage is likely to be the next technology to take off.
In the near future, the Clean Energy Group will present energy assurance partners and solar grid storage at the solar/Storage Solutions webinar. Stay tuned!