ENERGYSTORAGE
Battery storage extends PV
The sun may be a free source of energy for PV and solar applications but it is only with us for the daylight hours. To ensure the benefits from PV and solar occur for the rest of the time requires an energy storage system. Michael Lippert of Saft ESS (Energy Storage Systems) Division discusses how Li-ion battery energy storage can time shift PV power enabling wider usage.
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istorically, power grids have generally been based on large, centralized power stations that supply end-users via long- established transmission and distribution networks. The traditional model has served us very well in delivering secure and reliable power. But the ever- increasing political and environmental pressure to increase the penetration of renewable energy sources calls for a new type of grid. This new grid must have the flexibility and intelligence to be capable of receiving generation of all qualities and quantities from diverse sources and managing them to deliver reliable consumer supplies, on demand. To achieve this, it will need to incorporate fully integrated network management – it will need to become a smart grid.
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In general, discussion on the nature of smart grids has tended to focus on issues such as clean power generation, smart metering and information technology.
There is now though a growing appreciation that smarter grids must incorporate some form of energy storage to provide the vital continuity and quality of supply needed to ensure electricity is available wherever and whenever demand – rather than supply – dictates.
A specific area where energy storage is set to make an early impact on smarter grids is in helping to boost self-consumption in grid- connected solar PV (photovoltaic) installations.
Grid-connected PV with energy storage PV installations which have a permanent connection to the electricity grid are categorised as ‘on-grid’ applications. This is the most popular type of PV system for homes and businesses in the developed world, comprising more than 90 percent of all PV installations. By 2020, PV is anticipated to account for up to 12 percent of all generation in Europe, with a total installed capacity of some 390 GW, with two-thirds of this being decentralized (source EPIA: ‘paradigm shift scenario’).
A typical domestic PV installation in Germany or Spain is sized to deliver around 3,000 kWh/year. With the average yearly energy consumption in those two countries running at 3,500 kWh it is clear that an energy conscious household with an
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue X 2010
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