Drax: Net zero unachievable without a tenfold increase in energy storage

If the UK hopes to reach net zero by 2050, it will need at least 30GW of energy storage, according to new research done for Drax.

The analysis, written by Imperial College London for energy giant Drax's Energy Insights, said Japan would have to increase its energy storage capacity tenfold as intermittent generation from renewable sources such as wind and solar grows.

As efforts to decarbonise electricity continue, 70-80% of the UK’s electricity could come from wind and solar by 2050. Storage is needed to balance the peaks and troughs created by this type of generation, as most electricity is generated in the middle of the day, while demand is typically highest in the evening.

The analysis looked at 28 scenarios from 24 independent studies and how they predicted the growth of renewable energy and the subsequent demand for energy storage. The research showed that in the 70-80% renewable energy scenario, energy storage capacity would need to reach about one-third of peak electricity demand.

According to the analysis, renewable energy currently accounts for an average of one-quarter of the country's electricity mix. However, for every additional unit of intermittent power supply, an additional 0.2 units of energy storage are required to keep the grid stable and supply smooth.

This could be a huge challenge for the UK, which currently has just 3GW of energy storage capacity but needs to increase to 30GW.

Lead author of the study Dr Iain Staffell said energy storage plays a key role in determining the speed, scale and cost of the energy transition.

“Together with other technologies, such as interconnection and flexible generation, energy storage helps integrate more renewable energy into the system, which makes it easier to manage the grid and achieve more decarbonization at the lowest cost.”

Dr Oliver Schmidt, a senior consultant at the company and one of the authors of the report, said: “This summer’s UK blackouts highlighted the value of having a range of fast-response technologies at hand, and as older coal-fired power stations retire and are replaced by intermittent renewable energy, the need for energy storage is set to grow.”

“We also need to rapidly scale up other forms of flexibility, such as demand response, interconnected and fast-acting flexible power stations, and pumped hydro, which is currently the largest storage technology in terms of capacity, while the cost of batteries is falling.”

Energy storage technology has already proven its worth when lightning struck on Friday 9 August 2019, first knocking the Little Barford CCGT power plant offline and then tripping the Hornsea wind farm, causing the blackout Schmidt mentioned. In response, 475MW of energy storage capacity was immediately brought online, and in just 3 minutes and 47 minutes the grid frequency was restored to normal operating limits.

But the UK's electricity flexibility market is the second-largest in Europe, according to a report published in November by the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology. To meet net-zero emissions targets by adding renewables, more batteries and pumped hydro storage, as well as interconnectors and demand-side response, are urgently needed.

(Original source: Energy Storage News New Energy Network Comprehensive)