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Title: Southern company energy storage study :

Abstract

This study evaluates the business case for additional bulk electric energy storage in the Southern Company service territory for the year 2020. The model was used to examine how system operations are likely to change as additional storage is added. The storage resources were allowed to provide energy time shift, regulation reserve, and spinning reserve services. Several storage facilities, including pumped hydroelectric systems, flywheels, and bulk-scale batteries, were considered. These scenarios were tested against a range of sensitivities: three different natural gas price assumptions, a 15% decrease in coal-fired generation capacity, and a high renewable penetration (10% of total generation from wind energy). Only in the elevated natural gas price sensitivities did some of the additional bulk-scale storage projects appear justifiable on the basis of projected production cost savings. Enabling existing peak shaving hydroelectric plants to provide regulation and spinning reserve, however, is likely to provide savings that justify the project cost even at anticipated natural gas price levels. Transmission and distribution applications of storage were not examined in this study. Allowing new storage facilities to serve both bulk grid and transmission/distribution-level needs may provide for increased benefit streams, and thus make a stronger business case for additional storage.

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Southern Company Services, Inc.,, Birmingham, AL
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1095925
Report Number(s):
SAND2013-2251
463428
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Ellison, James, Bhatnagar, Dhruv, Black, Clifton, and Jenkins, Kip. Southern company energy storage study :. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.2172/1095925.
Ellison, James, Bhatnagar, Dhruv, Black, Clifton, & Jenkins, Kip. Southern company energy storage study :. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1095925
Ellison, James, Bhatnagar, Dhruv, Black, Clifton, and Jenkins, Kip. 2013. "Southern company energy storage study :". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1095925. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1095925.
@article{osti_1095925,
title = {Southern company energy storage study :},
author = {Ellison, James and Bhatnagar, Dhruv and Black, Clifton and Jenkins, Kip},
abstractNote = {This study evaluates the business case for additional bulk electric energy storage in the Southern Company service territory for the year 2020. The model was used to examine how system operations are likely to change as additional storage is added. The storage resources were allowed to provide energy time shift, regulation reserve, and spinning reserve services. Several storage facilities, including pumped hydroelectric systems, flywheels, and bulk-scale batteries, were considered. These scenarios were tested against a range of sensitivities: three different natural gas price assumptions, a 15% decrease in coal-fired generation capacity, and a high renewable penetration (10% of total generation from wind energy). Only in the elevated natural gas price sensitivities did some of the additional bulk-scale storage projects appear justifiable on the basis of projected production cost savings. Enabling existing peak shaving hydroelectric plants to provide regulation and spinning reserve, however, is likely to provide savings that justify the project cost even at anticipated natural gas price levels. Transmission and distribution applications of storage were not examined in this study. Allowing new storage facilities to serve both bulk grid and transmission/distribution-level needs may provide for increased benefit streams, and thus make a stronger business case for additional storage.},
doi = {10.2172/1095925},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1095925}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}