Construction and Technology
– Battery storage power plants are comparable to uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) in technology and function.
– Batteries are housed in their own structures, such as warehouses or containers, for safety and security.
– Additional inverters are needed to connect battery storage power plants to the high voltage network.
– Different accumulator systems can be used, such as lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, sodium-sulfur, and lithium-ion batteries.
– Lithium-ion batteries have become increasingly popular due to their decreasing cost and use in the electric automotive industry.
Safety
– Batteries operating at high temperatures or using corrosive components can experience calendar aging or failure.
– Cycle aging can occur due to charge-discharge cycles, especially at high charging rates.
– Aging can lead to performance loss, overheating, and critical failure, including leaks, fires, and explosions.
– Battery fires have been reported in various locations, resulting in evacuations and the release of dangerous gases.
– Some batteries require regular maintenance to prevent performance loss, while others are designed for long lifespan without maintenance.
Operating Characteristics
– Battery storage power plants offer extremely short control times and start times, as little as 10 ms, due to the absence of mechanical parts.
– They can help dampen fast oscillations and voltage fluctuations in electrical power networks operated close to maximum capacity.
– Battery storage power plants can counteract instabilities and prevent regional blackouts.
– Some batteries may have insufficient control systems and fail during disruptions.
– Batteries are commonly used for peak shaving and can provide systems services such as frequency stabilization.
Market Growth
– The market for battery storage power plants is growing rapidly, although still smaller compared to pumped hydroelectricity.
– In the United States, the market for storage power plants increased by 243% in 2015 compared to 2014.
– The price of a 60MW / 240MWh battery installation in the United States dropped by 13% from 2020 to 2021.
– Battery storage power plants can be used in combination with intermittent renewable energy sources in stand-alone power systems.
– Arbitrage is an attractive way to benefit from the operating characteristics of battery storages.
Comparison with Pumped Hydroelectricity
– The power and capacity of the largest individual battery storage power plants are currently an order of magnitude less than pumped-storage power plants.
– The largest pumped-storage power plant, Bath County Pumped Storage Station, can store 24GWh of electricity and dispatch 3GW.
– In comparison, the first phase of Vistra Energy’s Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility can store 1.2GWh and dispatch 300MW.
– However, grid batteries can be deployed widely across a grid for greater redundancy and overall capacity.
– Battery power storage is cheaper than open cycle gas turbine power for use up to two hours, and there was around 365GWh of battery storage deployed worldwide in 2019. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_storage_power_station
A battery storage power station is a type of energy storage power station that uses a group of batteries to store electrical energy. Battery storage is the fastest responding dispatchable source of power on electric grids, and it is used to stabilise those grids, as battery storage can transition from standby to full power in under a second to deal with grid contingencies.
Battery storage power stations are generally designed to be able to output at their full rated power for several hours. Battery storage can be used for short-term peak power and ancillary services, such as providing operating reserve and frequency control to minimize the chance of power outages. They are often installed at, or close to, other active or disused power stations and may share the same grid connection to reduce costs. Since battery storage plants require no deliveries of fuel, are compact compared to generating stations and have no chimneys or large cooling systems, they can be rapidly installed and placed if necessary within urban areas, close to customer load.
As of 2021, the power and capacity of the largest individual battery storage power plants is an order of magnitude less than that of the largest pumped-storage power plants, the most common form of grid energy storage. For example, the Bath County Pumped Storage Station, the second largest in the world, can store 24GWh of electricity and dispatch 3GW while the first phase of Vistra Energy's Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility can store 1.2GWh and dispatch 300MW. However, grid batteries do not have to be large, a large number of smaller ones can be widely deployed across a grid for greater redundancy and large overall capacity.
As of 2019, battery power storage is cheaper than open cycle gas turbine power for use up to two hours, and there was around 365 GWh of battery storage deployed worldwide, growing rapidly.Levelized cost of storage (LCOS) has fallen rapidly, halving in two years to reach US$150 per MWh in 2020, and further reduced to US$117 by 2023. Additionally, annualized capital costs varies from battery chemistry used for storage, but annualized capital costs of $93/kWh can be realized with Lithium iron phosphate in 2020.
