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Energy storage against interconnection as a balancing mechanism for a 100% renewable UK electricity grid

Energy storage against interconnection as a balancing mechanism for a 100% renewable UK electricity grid
Energy storage against interconnection as a balancing mechanism for a 100% renewable UK electricity grid
This study considers generation and demand challenges of a 100% renewable UK electricity grid and how this could be addressed with interconnection or energy storage. Hourly demand and electricity generation profiles for a year have been constructed: Business as Usual (BAU) with a yearly demand of 540 TWh and Green Plus (GP) with a demand of 390 TWh, Two further scenarios based on the above have been considered with electrification of heating (ASHP) and electric vehicle transportation (EV). The resultant hourly imbalances have been used to calculate the interconnection and energy storage requirements. This paper discusses the findings of the BAU scenario. The calculated interconnector capacity required was found to be 60 GW and cost £58 billion. Energy storage capacity requirements vary depending on the selected technology. Rated capacity was estimated to be 14 GW with storage capacity of 3 TWh for pumped storage, 11 GW and 2.3 TWh for liquid air, and 65 GW and 13.6 TWh for hydrogen storage, at a cost of £65, £76 and £45 billion respectively. This paper indicates that storing hydrogen in underground caverns would offer the cheapest solution. However, whilst these technological solutions can address generation and demand imbalance in a fully renewable electricity grid, there clearly remain barriers to each technology.
1752-1416
131-141
Alexander, M.
ca30e014-8046-4502-b5fb-055b4f62cf4d
James, P.A.B.
da0be14a-aa63-46a7-8646-a37f9a02a71b
Richardson, R.N.
972cc0b1-7c0b-4c43-8f2f-1b3f14d3fc5e
Alexander, M.
ca30e014-8046-4502-b5fb-055b4f62cf4d
James, P.A.B.
da0be14a-aa63-46a7-8646-a37f9a02a71b
Richardson, R.N.
972cc0b1-7c0b-4c43-8f2f-1b3f14d3fc5e

Alexander, M., James, P.A.B. and Richardson, R.N. (2015) Energy storage against interconnection as a balancing mechanism for a 100% renewable UK electricity grid. IET Renewable Power Generation, 9 (2), 131-141. (doi:10.1049/iet-rpg.2014.0042).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study considers generation and demand challenges of a 100% renewable UK electricity grid and how this could be addressed with interconnection or energy storage. Hourly demand and electricity generation profiles for a year have been constructed: Business as Usual (BAU) with a yearly demand of 540 TWh and Green Plus (GP) with a demand of 390 TWh, Two further scenarios based on the above have been considered with electrification of heating (ASHP) and electric vehicle transportation (EV). The resultant hourly imbalances have been used to calculate the interconnection and energy storage requirements. This paper discusses the findings of the BAU scenario. The calculated interconnector capacity required was found to be 60 GW and cost £58 billion. Energy storage capacity requirements vary depending on the selected technology. Rated capacity was estimated to be 14 GW with storage capacity of 3 TWh for pumped storage, 11 GW and 2.3 TWh for liquid air, and 65 GW and 13.6 TWh for hydrogen storage, at a cost of £65, £76 and £45 billion respectively. This paper indicates that storing hydrogen in underground caverns would offer the cheapest solution. However, whilst these technological solutions can address generation and demand imbalance in a fully renewable electricity grid, there clearly remain barriers to each technology.

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IET_Renewable_Power_Generation_storageUK_alexander.pdf - Author's Original
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 13 June 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 February 2015
Published date: March 2015
Organisations: Energy & Climate Change Group

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 368879
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/368879
ISSN: 1752-1416
PURE UUID: 5f50e1ca-d35c-4be3-93c2-58d9b743ccfa
ORCID for P.A.B. James: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2694-7054

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Date deposited: 17 Sep 2014 11:08
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:46

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Contributors

Author: M. Alexander
Author: P.A.B. James ORCID iD
Author: R.N. Richardson

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