Energy Storage: An Innovative Answer to a Few of Today's Challenges
8.14.03 Richard Baxter, Director, Pearl Street, Inc.
Jason Makansi, President, Pearl Street, Inc
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Energy storage technologies are emerging as promising solutions to many of the most intractable transmission and distribution issues today. As the electrical industry gears up to power the US economy out of recession, many of the volatility and uncertainty issues facing the electricity market will reemerge—making leaders in the field aware that the industry lacks something that other commodity markets have: the flexibility, security, and reliability provided by storage. Although energy storage is now receiving attention as a new development, it is important to recall that Alabama Electric Cooperative has been operating a 110-MW CAES facility for over a decade and companies like Southern California Edison Co and Puerto Rico Electric Authority have experience operating large-scale conventional batteries. Based on the success of these facilities, newer facilities storage facilities are underway such as Golden Valley Electric Association (AK) 40-MW NiCad battery facility and American Electric Power’s 100-kW pilot peak-shaving sodium sulfur battery in Ohio.
Driven by market changes already underway, many proponents of energy storage technologies see a unique window of opportunity for growth. In their most basic role, energy storage technologies enable existing assets to temporarily handle larger loads and prevent or delay the need for upgrades. These technologies have existed in some form for decades, but have rarely garnered the attention of utility executives. They have been largely overlooked because in a regulated market, system imbalances could be solved simply by overbuilding generation and transmission assets which can then be rolled into the rate base and passed on to the consumer. With the industry evolving into a competitive business from a highly regulated, quasi-public enterprise, there is a new and growing appreciation that energy storage technologies can optimize the existing infrastructure.
Energy storage technologies have applications throughout the electricity value chain. Some, like thermal storage, pumped-hydro, and batteries have operated successfully for years, but have limitations that vary from maintenance concerns to severe siting issues. Newer technologies currently gaining a foothold in the market today, such as flow batteries, sodium sulfur batteries, and high-speed flywheels, are being pursued for three critical goals of the transmission infrastructure: efficiency, reliability, and security. By improving the efficiency of the transmission Grid itself, energy storage can improve the efficiency of the power producer's existing assets. By providing bridging-power during forced outages and back-up power during times of excessive demand, storage assets can also improve customer service reliability. And finally, by providing a ‘ready-reserve’ of power for sudden changes in the grid’s power level, isolated generator or even power-line failures can be prevented from cascading into larger outages.
Energy Storage Council
The Energy Storage Council (ESC) was formed at the beginning of 2002 by a group of leading technology developers to promote the introduction of energy storage technology into the electric power market. The group’s main goal is to act as unified voice in Washington and key State capitals for the energy storage community in order to raise the industry’s profile with respect to energy policy-making. The past year and a half has witnessed a series of successful meetings both with industry leaders and with policy makers and increased visibility for energy storage technologies in both the market and policy arenas. The challenge today is to continue to enhance market awareness of storage capabilities and assist in the implementation of the technologies into the T&D system where their capabilities can speak for themselves. Current members of the ESC include: Alstom Power, Haddington Ventures, Ridge Energy Storage, Decker Energy International, MAN Turbo, Dresser-Rand, Beacon Power, Black & Veatch, and the Iowa Stored Energy Project (ISEP).
Gaining Recognition
The merits of energy storage technologies are rapidly earning increased recognition by State and Federal government regulators as a realistic tool to combat some of the growing challenges in the industry. In the US Department of Energy, the energy storage program has been moved into the new Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution (OETD) headed by Jimmy Glotfelty where it has been targeted for significant growth and inclusion into system-wide policy road mapping. At the ESC annual meeting in Houston this past March, keynote speaker Jimmy Glotfelty explained that grid reliability, security, and technology development are the cornerstones of their work and that energy storage technologies can help in all three.
Other departments interested in energy storage include the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy which are both looking at ways to improve the security and stability of the electric power industry. These efforts, led by Abby Layne at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), complement Glotfelty’s work. As Layne explained in her own presentation at the ESC's meeting, the transmission infrastructure is more than a simple one-way transmission system and, in order to support the type of competitive market envisioned for the electric power industry, and a growing, vibrant US economy, the system must be flexible, capable, and resilient.
Beyond the Federal Government, State governments are also investigating energy storage technologies. California, which has initiated a $5-million dollar program to evaluate and implement energy storage technologies throughout the state, is leading the way. Pramod Kulkarni, heading the program for the California Energy Commission noted that interest in the program was far higher than expected. Over 100 people attended the initial session (twice the expected turnout) with a wide variety of proposals, helping to lay the groundwork for making California one of the leading areas for the development of energy storage technologies—while solving some of the looming transmission challenges the State faces.
Recent Projects
Iowa Stored Energy Plant (ISEP)
The Iowa Municipal Utility Association (IAMU) is developing one of the most innovative power supply projects under development today. Fifty of the IAMU members have backed a project to construct a 200-MW compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) power plant (power and compressor train from Dresser-Rand) and a 100-MW wind farm near Ft. Dodge, Iowa. The ISEP uses off-peak energy from wind and other sources to compress and then store air into an underground aquifer. Gas storage is also envisioned at the site. The ISEP will be operated as an intermediate load power plant that will generate power 12 to 16 hours per day for 5 to 6 days a week. During the other hours it will be taking power from the wind turbines and the grid to compress air for storage. Gradually, with the addition of more wind turbine generators and compressors, the facility could evolve into a baseload facility. Project launch is set for the fall of 2003, and initial startup of the facility is currently slated for the summer of 2006.
Norton Energy Project
CAES Development Co. (Haddington Ventures) is developing the Norton Energy Storage facility in Norton, OH. The compressed-air energy storage (CAES) facility will be built in stages, with the first phase of 300 MW at a cost of $200 million. Additional construction will continue to progress until the facility is developed to its full capacity of 2,700 MW (power and compressor train from Alstom Power). Compressed air will be stored in an abandoned limestone cavern, and once completed, the total facility will be able to operate for an entire 16-hour period.
PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is currently testing a vanadium-redox flow battery from VRB Power Systems Inc (Vancouver, Canada), which was installed at a distribution level substation in Moab, Utah. This is the first VRB system installed in the US and consists of a 250kW X 8h energy storage module capable of being charged over 10,000 cycles. Once operational, the unit will provide voltage support and other power improvements to PacifiCorp’s clients in the area with a minimal environmental impact and small footprint at the substation.
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is building a 12 MW, 120 MWh (10-hour discharge) regenerative flow battery designed by Regenesys Technologies (Wiltshire, U.K.) near the Columbus Air Force Base in Columbus, Mississippi (western edge of TVA service territory). The $25 million facility will supply reliable, premium power to a number of large customers in the area.
The Challenge Ahead
The Energy Storage Council sees two important avenues for its work going forward: increase support for pilot-phase projects to showcase recent advances in the technology, and work with government officials to improve the business environment for energy storage technologies. As the ESC's message begins to resonate in Washington DC, efforts will be put towards a number of goals over the coming year including:
Support increased funding for the US Department of Energy’s current $7.6-million Energy Storage commercialization research and development program, and help define the OETD’s technology roadmap to advance the capabilities and efficiency of the transmission grid.
Support the Federal Government’s goal of increasing the security and assurance level of the transmission network through accelerating the placement of advanced technologies into the marketplace. Here, the ESC is helping to define a Technology Roadmap to implement real solutions to improve the security and stability of the electric power market.
Promote the adoption of the Advanced Power System Technology Incentive Program. (APSTIP). This incentive-based program is designed to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology into the marketplace to enhance and improve the efficiency, cleanliness, security, and reliability of the electric power generation and transmission system. This program includes generation, storage, and distribution assets designed to address these national concerns.
Expand working relationships with other organizations holding complimentary goals. Building on efforts this past year, ESC representatives will continue to meet with groups working to leverage the capabilities of storage to improve the profitability of wind projects and increase the effectiveness of the electric power transmission network.
Together, these efforts and others are designed to improve the environment for energy storage technology’s adoption into the marketplace. By providing a voice for the energy storage community in policy decision-making at the Federal and State level, the Energy Storage Council can continue to support the DOE’s goal of introducing advanced energy technologies into innovative market applications and help address the growing challenges the electric power industry faces.
Further Information
Energy Storage Council www.energystoragecouncil.org
Electricity Storage Association www.electricitystorage.org
US DOE Storage Program www.eere.energy.gov/der/energy_storage/energystorage.html
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