Energy storage: UK viability of energy storage from renewable sources and energy re-introduction into the grid or as fuel for transport

可以说，电力供需平衡现在比以往任何时候都更加困难。这是因为需求上升和大多数网络的供应结构发生了剧烈变化。计划如何管理这一问题的传统方法依赖于可调度的化石燃料发电机，特别是运行在低发电能力的大型发电厂或柴油发电机。可再生能源(RES)的可变性不同于该系统以前看到的情况，由于排放目标，传统的规划方法和解决方案不适用。面对巨大的同比挑战，许多决策者正转向使用当前的经济和技术分析作为“支持预定技术选择的工具”。这项研究具有潜在的影响，可以更好地告知决策者，他们应该做出哪些战略决策，以便在电力供应组合中切实实现高渗透率的可再生能源。具体地说，它决定了平衡供需所需的存储大小和持续时间如何随多个变量(如RE渗透率和需求侧管理)而变化。研究建议可以很容易地分为三个关键交付成果：1.量化(已开发出方法)RE和存储需求之间的关系。确定满足给定需求轮廓的技术经济最优可再生能源供应和储存系统的模型。采用新型催化剂的哈勃-博世(HB)流程的动态模型，以便于量化所需的后备资源。然后，将结合交付项2和3来提供一种方法，以确定最优的稀土供应和存储系统，包括使用传统和新型催化剂通过HB流程生产氨，以满足微电网或更小的需求。为了便于量化和了解RE和存储需求之间的关系，我们建立了存储持续时间指数(SDI)，以能够量化所需的存储持续时间和大小。这种新颖的方法使我们能够确定关键变量对存储需求的影响。SDI显示，季节性存储目前可能被低估，特别是在光伏普及率较高的网络中。与以前的研究不同，这将使我们能够从基本原理出发，而不是最初用技术特征或当前经济等约束来扭曲问题，以确定技术和经济上最优的供应和存储系统，以满足给定的需求概况。在这项工作的同时，我们计划开发一个从稀土生产氨的动态模型，该模型使用传统和新型催化剂的HB流程，用作能量矢量。这将使我们能够比以前的稳态分析更准确地确定从RES生产氨所需的备份。新型催化剂的模型化将使规划一个概念验证工厂成为可能，而这目前是不可行的。我们有可能在哈威尔的概念验证工厂上使用WIND的传统HB生产来验证该模型。完成这两个工作流程后，我们将能够确定针对给定需求概况的技术和经济最佳供应-存储系统(包括氨作为存储方法)。总而言之，如果我们将模型的存储方法限制为仅使用氨气，我们将能够构建商业计划并确定其关键敏感性。该项目属于EPSRC能源研究领域，更具体地说，是能量存储(同时促进高渗透率可再生能源电网集成)子主题。我的西门子-EPSRC iCASE奖使我能够与西门子密切合作。

The balancing of supply and demand for electricity is arguably harder now than it ever has been. This is because of rising demand and a drastic change in the supply mix of most networks. Conventional methods for planning how to manage this are reliant on dispatchable fossil fuel generators, particularly large power plants running at low capacity or diesel generators. The variability of renewable energy sources (RES) is unlike what the system has seen before and due to the emissions targets conventional planning methods and solutions are not applicable. Many decision makers given the substantial year-on-year challenges are turning to using current economics and technical analyses as ''tools to support predetermined technology choices''.This research has the potential impact to better inform decision makers as to the strategic decisions that they should be making to practically enable high penetration RE in an electricity supply mix. Specifically it determines how the size and duration of storage required, to balance supply and demand, changes with multiple variables (such as RES penetration and demand side management).The research proposal can easily be separated into three key deliverables:1. Quantifying (having developed the methodology) the relationship between RES and storage requirement.2. A model which determines the technical and economic optimal renewable energy (RE) supply and storage system to meet a given demand profile.3. A dynamic model of the Haber-Bosch (HB) process with novel catalysts to facilitate quantification of the back-up required.Deliverables 2 and 3 will then be combined to provide a methodology to determine the optimal RE supply and storage system, including the production of ammonia by the HB process using conventional and novel catalysts, for a demand profile of a micro-grid or smaller.In facilitate quantification and understanding of the relationship between RES and storage requirement this we have set up the Storage Duration Index (SDI) to enable the quantification of the storage duration and size required. This novel methodology is enabling us to identify the impact that key variables have on the storage requirements. The SDI has shown that seasonal storage is potentially undervalued at present particularly with high PV penetration networks. Unlike previous investigations this will enable us from first principles, without initially distorting the problem with constraints such as technology characteristics or current economics, to determine the technical and economically optimal supply and storage system to meet a given demand profile. This understanding (and model) will then be used practically to determine the economically optimal RE supply and storage system for any given demand profile.In parallel with this work we plan to develop a dynamic model of ammonia production from RE, using the HB process with conventional and novel catalysts, for use as an energy vector. This will allow us to determine more accurately than previous steady-state analyses the backup required for ammonia production from RES. The modelling of novel catalysts would enable planning a proof-of-concept plant which is at present not feasible. There is potential for us to be able to validate this model on a proof-of-concept plant at Harwell using conventional HB production from wind.Having completed these two work-streams we will be able to determine the technical and economic optimal supply-storage system (including ammonia as a storage method) for a given demand profile. To conclude if we constrain the model's storage method to only using ammonia we would be able to build a business plan and identify its key sensitivities.This project falls within the EPSRC energy research area and more specifically the sub-theme of energy storage (while facilitating high penetration renewable energy grid integration).My Siemens-EPSRC iCASE Award has allowed me to work closely with Siemens.