Techno-economic analysis of long-duration energy storage and flexible power generation technologies to support high-variable renewable energy grids

Hunter, Chad A.; Penev, Michael M.; Reznicek, Evan P.; Eichman, Joshua; Rustagi, Neha; Baldwin, Samuel F.

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.018

Title: Techno-economic analysis of long-duration energy storage and flexible power generation technologies to support high-variable renewable energy grids

Journal Article · Tue Jul 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Joule

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.06.018· OSTI ID:1810728

^[1];

^[1]; Rustagi, Neha ^[2];

^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States)

As variable renewable energy penetration increases beyond 80%, clean power systems will require long-duration energy storage or flexible, low-carbon generation. Here, we provide a detailed techno-economic evaluation and uncertainty analysis of applicable technologies and identify challenges and opportunities to support electric grid planning. We show that for a 120-h storage duration rating, hydrogen systems with geologic storage and natural gas with carbon capture are the least-cost low-carbon technologies for both current and future capital costs. These results are robust to uncertainty for the future capital cost scenario, but adiabatic compressed air and pumped thermal storage could be the least-cost technologies in the current capital cost scenario under uncertainty. Finally, we present a new storage system using heavy-duty vehicle fuel cells that could reduce the levelized cost of energy by 13%–20% compared with the best previously considered storage technology and, thus, could help enable very high (>80%) renewable energy grids.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Strategic Programs (EE-SP); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (EE-3F); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind Energy Technologies Office (EE-4W)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1810728

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5400-75999; MainId:6630; UUID:96a3537c-7744-ea11-9c2f-ac162d87dfe5; MainAdminID:36038

Journal Information:: Joule, Vol. 5, Issue 8; ISSN 2542-4351

Publisher:: Elsevier - Cell PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (36)

A global analysis of the progress and failure of electric utilities to adapt their portfolios of power-generation assets to the energy transition Alova, Galina Nature Energy, Vol. 5, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-00686-5	journal	August 2020
Timescales of energy storage needed for reducing renewable energy curtailment Denholm, Paul; Mai, Trieu Renewable Energy, Vol. 130 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.06.079	journal	January 2019
Bulk electricity storage technologies for load-leveling operation – An economic assessment for the Austrian and German power market Kloess, M.; Zach, K. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, Vol. 59 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2014.02.002	journal	July 2014
Projecting the Future Levelized Cost of Electricity Storage Technologies Schmidt, Oliver; Melchior, Sylvain; Hawkes, Adam Joule, Vol. 3, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.12.008	journal	January 2019
A review at the role of storage in energy systems with a focus on Power to Gas and long-term storage Blanco, Herib; Faaij, André Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 81 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.07.062	journal	January 2018
Integration of Renewable Energy Sources in future power systems: The role of storage Weitemeyer, Stefan; Kleinhans, David; Vogt, Thomas Renewable Energy, Vol. 75 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2014.09.028	journal	March 2015
The role of storage technologies for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system in Europe Child, Michael; Bogdanov, Dmitrii; Breyer, Christian Energy Procedia, Vol. 155 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2018.11.067	journal	November 2018
Inter-seasonal compressed-air energy storage using saline aquifers Mouli-Castillo, Julien; Wilkinson, Mark; Mignard, Dimitri Nature Energy, Vol. 4, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0311-0	journal	January 2019
Renewables, nuclear, or fossil fuels? Scenarios for Great Britain’s power system considering costs, emissions and energy security Pfenninger, Stefan; Keirstead, James Applied Energy, Vol. 152 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.04.102	journal	August 2015
Role of Long-Duration Energy Storage in Variable Renewable Electricity Systems Dowling, Jacqueline A.; Rinaldi, Katherine Z.; Ruggles, Tyler H. Joule, Vol. 4, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.07.007	journal	September 2020
Long-Duration Electricity Storage Applications, Economics, and Technologies Albertus, Paul; Manser, Joseph S.; Litzelman, Scott Joule, Vol. 4, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.11.009	journal	January 2020
The Role of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Resources in Deep Decarbonization of Power Generation Sepulveda, Nestor A.; Jenkins, Jesse D.; de Sisternes, Fernando J. Joule, Vol. 2, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.08.006	journal	November 2018
Least-cost options for integrating intermittent renewables in low-carbon power systems Brouwer, Anne Sjoerd; van den Broek, Machteld; Zappa, William Applied Energy, Vol. 161 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.09.090	journal	January 2016
Pumped thermal grid storage with heat exchange Laughlin, Robert B. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, Vol. 9, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4994054	journal	July 2017
Levelised Cost of Storage for Pumped Heat Energy Storage in comparison with other energy storage technologies Smallbone, Andrew; Jülch, Verena; Wardle, Robin Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 152 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.09.047	journal	November 2017
Battery materials for low-cost electric transportation Turcheniuk, Kostiantyn; Bondarev, Dmitry; Amatucci, Glenn G. Materials Today, Vol. 42 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2020.09.027	journal	January 2021
Electrical energy storage systems: A comparative life cycle cost analysis Zakeri, Behnam; Syri, Sanna Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 42 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.10.011	journal	February 2015
Geologic storage of hydrogen: Scaling up to meet city transportation demands Lord, Anna S.; Kobos, Peter H.; Borns, David J. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 39, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.07.121	journal	September 2014
The future cost of electrical energy storage based on experience rates Schmidt, O.; Hawkes, A.; Gambhir, A. Nature Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.110	journal	July 2017
Benefit Analysis of Long-Duration Energy Storage in Power Systems with High Renewable Energy Shares Zhang, Jiazi; Guerra, Omar J.; Eichman, Joshua Frontiers in Energy Research, Vol. 8 https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2020.527910	journal	December 2020
Shell Cansolv CO2 capture technology: Achievement from First Commercial Plant Singh, Ajay; Stéphenne, Karl Energy Procedia, Vol. 63 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.177	journal	January 2014
Demonstration of the Allam Cycle: An Update on the Development Status of a High Efficiency Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Process Employing Full Carbon Capture Allam, Rodney; Martin, Scott; Forrest, Brock Energy Procedia, Vol. 114 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.1731	journal	July 2017
Demonstrating load-change transient performance of a commercial-scale natural gas combined cycle power plant with post-combustion CO2 capture M. Montañés, Rubén; GarÐarsdóttir, Stefanía Ó.; Normann, Fredrik International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 63 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.05.011	journal	August 2017
Flexible bioenergy supply for balancing fluctuating renewables in the heat and power sector—a review of technologies and concepts Thrän, Daniela; Dotzauer, Martin; Lenz, Volker Energy, Sustainability and Society, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-015-0062-8	journal	December 2015
Renewable natural gas in California: An assessment of the technical and economic potential Parker, Nathan; Williams, Robert; Dominguez-Faus, Rosa Energy Policy, Vol. 111 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.09.034	journal	December 2017
Flexibility mechanisms and pathways to a highly renewable US electricity future Frew, Bethany A.; Becker, Sarah; Dvorak, Michael J. Energy, Vol. 101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.01.079	journal	April 2016
Learning curves for hydrogen production technology: An assessment of observed cost reductions Schoots, K.; Ferioli, F.; Kramer, G. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 33, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.03.011	journal	June 2008
Learning by doing, learning spillovers and the diffusion of fuel cell vehicles Schwoon, Malte Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory, Vol. 16, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.simpat.2008.08.001	journal	October 2008
Factors Affecting the Cost of Airplanes Wright, T. P. Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 3, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2514/8.155	journal	February 1936
Storage Requirements and Costs of Shaping Renewable Energy Toward Grid Decarbonization Ziegler, Micah S.; Mueller, Joshua M.; Pereira, Gonçalo D. Joule, Vol. 3, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.06.012	journal	September 2019
The greenhouse gas benefits of corn ethanol – assessing recent evidence Lewandrowski, Jan; Rosenfeld, Jeffrey; Pape, Diana Biofuels, Vol. 11, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/17597269.2018.1546488	journal	March 2019
Environmental impacts of bioethanol using the NREL biochemical conversion route: multivariate analysis and single score results Daystar, Jesse; Treasure, Trevor; Reeb, Carter Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.1553	journal	May 2015
Well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol from corn, sugarcane and cellulosic biomass for US use Wang, Michael; Han, Jeongwoo; Dunn, Jennifer B. Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 7, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045905	journal	December 2012
The role of flexible CCS in the UK's future energy system Mac Dowell, N.; Staffell, I. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 48 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.01.043	journal	May 2016
Economic analysis of a new class of vanadium redox-flow battery for medium- and large-scale energy storage in commercial applications with renewable energy Li, Ming-Jia; Zhao, Wei; Chen, Xi Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 114 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.11.156	journal	March 2017
Cost Competitiveness of Electrolytic Hydrogen Guerra, Omar J.; Eichman, Joshua; Kurtz, Jennifer Joule, Vol. 3, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2019.07.006	journal	October 2019

Similar Records

Energy Storage Analysis

Conference · Mon Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · OSTI ID:1810728

Hunter, Chad; Reznicek, Evan; Penev, Michael; +2 more

Enabling a Flexible Grid with Increased Penetration of DER: Techno-economic Analysis of Metal Hydride Thermochemical Energy Storage Integrated with Stirling Engine for Grid Energy Storage Applications

Technical Report · Wed May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · OSTI ID:1810728

Zidan, Ragaiy; McWhorter, Scott

A Technical and Economic Assessment of LWR Flexible Operation for Generation and Demand Balancing to Optimize Plant Revenue

Technical Report · Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2021 · OSTI ID:1810728

McDowell, Dylan James; Talbot, Paul W.; Wrobel, Anna Marie; +6 more

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
batteries
carbon capture and sequestration
compressed air
geologic storage
heavy-duty vehicle fuel cells
hydrogen storage
levelized cost of energy
lithium-ion
long duration energy storage
pumped hydro
salt dome
techno-economic analysis
thermal energy storage
vanadium flow

Title: Techno-economic analysis of long-duration energy storage and flexible power generation technologies to support high-variable renewable energy grids

Citation Formats

References (36)

Similar Records

Related Subjects