Why “intermittence anxiety” about battery storage is unnecessary
Battery power plants are increasingly fulfilling the role of peaking plants - a European perspective.
The energy transition is complex and is forcing us to rethink many aspects of our current energy system. Inherently the transition will mean that some technologies need to be phased out, but it will also bring opportunities and new developments. DNV’s 2022 edition of the Energy transition Outlook revealed that electrification is the strongest driver of the global energy transition, expanding in all regions and almost all sectors, while the electricity mix itself is greening rapidly. It also highlighted that solar PV and wind are already the cheapest forms of new electricity in most places.
So why are we still facing scepticism about successful deep decarbonization with a high share of variable renewable energy?
These sceptics suffer from what I call “intermittence anxiety”. This is similar to “range anxiety” for electric vehicles, a hotly debated topic which for many years had people questioning whether EV batteries would ever be good enough to replace internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, last year we saw the first electric vehicle to break the 1,000 km range barrier on a single charge.
Now that we’re starting to eliminate “range anxiety” isn’t it time we eased “intermittence anxiety” too?
In my view, energy storage can enable an electricity system with a high share of wind and solar. As stated by recent MIT study “the future of storage”, 2022: “Electricity storage can play a critical role in balancing electricity supply and demand and can provide other services needed to keep decarbonised electricity systems reliable and cost-effective”.
The future is looking bright for energy storage
When I look back the past seven years, it’s hard to imagine we would see a world where (gas) peaker power plants would be replaced by battery power plants fulfilling the same functions. Nowadays this is a reality in the USA and Australia, and more to come. The future is looking bright for energy storage.
However, the devil is in the detail. In many countries energy storage is not included in the regulations or electricity codes. This can result in discriminatory treatment such as double taxation, permitting barriers or discriminatory grid fees compared to conventional power plants.