Study: UK net zero grid requires 24GW of long-duration energy storage

Aurora Energy Research, an energy consultancy, said the UK electricity market needed reform to boost demand for storage of four hours or more of power.

Aurora Energy Research has warned that there is an urgent need to roll out up to 24GW of long-duration energy storage over the next 15 years to help the grid operate smoothly as electricity use continues to increase.

The energy consultancy highlighted the potential for the UK’s electricity system to be clean, affordable and reliable, in line with the government’s goal of achieving a net zero grid dominated by renewable energy technologies by 2035.

But it warned that massive investment was urgently needed to build secure energy systems as the transition to a carbon-emitting society continued, and while other technologies and lithium-ion battery storage would have a role to play, having systems to store electricity for longer periods of time was also crucial to net zero emissions.

In research published last week, long-duration energy storage capacity from lithium-ion batteries was estimated at up to 24GW, which would need to be slowly absorbed over the next 15 years to support the UK's increasingly decarbonised grid.

By introducing significant long-duration energy storage (LDES) capacity by 2035, it could help the UK reduce carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes per year, while also reducing the cost of running the grid by £1.13 billion (9.7 billion yuan), for a total of £2.6 billion (22.4 billion yuan).

Long-duration energy storage technologies, including pumped hydro, liquid air energy storage (LAES), flow batteries and compressed air energy storage (CAES), are all capable of providing more than four hours of electricity storage, potentially up to days, weeks or even months.

But current LDES capacity is just a fraction of what is needed to deliver a decarbonised grid and, in line with the UK’s goal of a net-zero grid by 2035, is “unachievable” without being expanded eightfold in size over the next decade and beyond, the Aurora Energy study claims.

Felix Chow Kambitsch, head of commissioned projects for Western Europe at Aurora Energy Research, said the accelerated deployment of wind and solar over the next 15 years would complement the “huge need” for long-term electricity storage to balance the grid.

“LDES demonstrates the security and operability of renewable energy systems,” he said. “In addition to providing low-carbon enterprise capacity, LDES technology also provides a wide range of ancillary services.”

However, the study warns that investment in LDES technology in the UK is urgently needed but faces many barriers due to high upfront costs, long lead times, revenue uncertainty and a lack of market support signals. It therefore recommends that the government should reform policies and markets.

The report also points out that in addition to establishing a "cap and floor" mechanism model for adaptation to provide guaranteed support for LDES technology, the government's acceptable capacity for carbon intensity should also be considered.

The research is backed by a host of energy companies including Drax, SSE, Engie, Highview Power and Intelligent Land Investments Group.

Mark Wilson, chief executive of clean energy developer ILI Group, said market reforms would unlock a large number of LDES projects in the UK.

“Long-duration energy storage, especially storage of more than four hours, is vital for the UK to achieve its net zero target,” he said. “Without the energy project, the country’s renewable energy generation capacity will quickly reach the ‘green glass ceiling’ and adding more ‘variable’ renewable generation will actually threaten our grid stability and security of electricity supply.”

In related news last week, Scottish Water announced it had completed the installation of its first combined solar and battery storage facility near its Perth wastewater treatment plant on the River Tay.

The £2 million (17.24 million RMB) project is expected to provide around a quarter of the electricity used to power the city’s customers’ daily water needs. Scottish Water installed 2,520 solar panels on land adjacent to the treatment plant, along with four vanadium flow batteries manufactured by Invinity.

The flow batteries are capable of storing up to 0.8MWh of electricity generated by solar panels, and the system has a total output of more than 1MW, allowing solar energy to be used at any time of the day or night, the company said.

Scottish Water said the new system would reduce its carbon footprint by around 160 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of offsetting 580,000 miles from an average passenger car, while also facilitating rapid electric vehicle charging points being installed on site.

It estimates that the solar and storage system will help reduce energy costs for on-site water treatment by about 40%.

“By utilising this technology we now have a wider opportunity to install renewable energy schemes that were previously not possible due to grid constraints,” explained Donald Mac Brayne, Business Development Manager at Scottish Water. “This is a big step forward for us and will form an integral part of our efforts to reduce emissions in the coming years.”

(Original source: Global Energy Global Energy Storage Network, New Energy Network Comprehensive)