Though
characterized by high levels of reliability, generation and transmission
equipment is never 100% reliable. Considered to be the backbone of New York
City’s electric grid, the Ravenswood No 3., 1000 MW power generator, known as
Big Allis, has experienced numerous (sometimes famous) failures since it was
originally commissioned in 1965. Though there have been many power failures in
New York City since 1965, their number has been far less than the number of
incidents where Big Allis has been out of commission due to maintenance or
failure (Schewe, 2006). This is due to the fact that utilities, like KeySpan in
New York City, maintain reserve power generation capacity to compensate for
scheduled and unscheduled equipment down time. Often this reserve capacity is
15%-20% of the normal electric supply capacity (Eyer & Corey, 2010).
Compared to reserve generation capacity that must be kept online or spinning
(consuming fuel without generating electricity), energy storage can provide
reserve capacity that is readily available without consuming fuel.
Energy storage can
also be used as a means of power generation during a blackout. While grid
operators attempt to restore power, energy storage devices can be used to
provide power rapidly when needed. Another benefit of energy storage devices is
that unlike traditional generators, an energy storage device does not typically
need significant power to be fed back into the device to begin operating
(Baxter, 2006). After a complete shutdown large generation plants require
electricity to be fed back into the plant during the “blackstart” phase until
they can start to generate their own electricity. Energy storage is an ideal
candidate for providing this blackstart capability (Baxter, 2006).
Works Cited
Baxter, R. (2006). Energy Storage; A Nontechnical
Guide. Tulsa, Oklahoma: PennWell Corporation.
Eyer, J., & Corey, G. (2010). Energy Storage
for the Electricity Grid: Benefits and Market Potential Assessment Guide. Albuquerque,
New Mexico: Sandia National Laboratories.
Schewe, P. F. (2006). The Grid: A Journey Through
the Heart of Our Electrified World. Washington D.C.: Joseph Henry Press.
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