Energy storage can provide power
quality and regulation support to the transmission and distribution (T&D)
system in the same way that energy storage provides these services to the
electricity generation side of the grid. Just as energy storage can be used to
defer generation system upgrades, it can also be used to defer investment and
upgrades to the T&D equipment (Eyer & Corey, 2010) . T&D equipment
upgrade deferral is a particularly good application for energy storage because
often upgrades are needed to compensate for relatively modest power and energy
increase requirements. Small modular energy storage systems can be deployed at
locations in the T&D system where congestion or equipment failure is
greatest, in order to cover demand peaks that usually happen only a few days a
year. The alternative is often a large equipment investment with a capacity
well beyond what is actually needed. The modest, incremental, storage
investment would free up capital for other projects while improving utility
asset utilization (Eyer & Corey, 2010) .
It is interesting to note that there
are nearly 100,000 lead-acid battery energy storage systems currently deployed
at utility substations in the US. These storage systems are critical to
providing power to substation communications and control equipment when
electricity is not flowing through the grid; much in the same way that energy
storage can support the blackstart of generation equipment. These lead-acid
battery storage systems provide a benchmark and an opportunity for future
energy storage technology of this size (EPRI, 2003) .
Works Cited
EPRI. (2003). EPRI-DOE Handbook of Energy Storage
for Transmission & Distribution Applications. Washington DC: EPRI,
Palo Alto, CA, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Eyer, J., & Corey, G. (2010). Energy Storage
for the Electricity Grid: Benefits and Market Potential Assessment Guide.
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Sandia National Laboratories.
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