A Myriad of Beneficial Services and Savings to Our Electrical Grid
Energy storage provides a myriad of beneficial services and cost savings to our electric grid, and companies are deploying storage technologies for a number of different purposes. Large scale energy storage also allows today’s electrical system to run significantly more efficiently, and that greater efficiency means lower prices, less emissions and more reliable power.
Traditional energy sources – like coal and natural gas power plants – have to be turned on and off as demand fluctuates, and are almost never operating at peak performance. This means that energy not only costs more, but pollutes more, than is necessary to meet our energy needs. And the slow ramp up time of these bulk generation facilities means they cannot respond to spikes in demand in real time, potentially leading to brownouts and poor power quality.
With the widespread adoption of renewable energy resources, energy storage is equally useful. As is often noted, these energy sources are intermittent in nature, producing energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. By storing the energy produced and delivering it on demand, these clean technologies can continue to power our grid even when the sun has set and the air is still – leveling out jumps in output to create a continuous, reliable stream of power throughout the day.
But warehousing energy from diverse resources for use at a different time is only one of the many applications of energy storage. Storage technologies also improve the quality of power through frequency regulation, allows companies to produce power when it is cheapest and most efficient, and provide an uninterruptible source of power for critical infrastructure and services.
Bulk Systems
The flexibility of energy storage offers a range of benefits for the efficient and effective operation of the bulk electricity generation and transmission system. Energy storage improves the efficient operation of the grid, reducing congestion on the grid at peak periods which causes line losses.
Learn MoreDistribution Systems
The flexibility of energy storage makes it an increasingly important tool for maintaining the reliable and effective operation of electricity distribution networks. As storage capabilities improve and expand – while new demands are placed on the grid from electric vehicles and renewable energy – it will only become more vital for optimal grid performance.
Learn MoreCustomer Sited
On-site storage provides means for electricity end-users to manage their electricity costs, often behind the meter. End-users can also use on-site storage to reduce costs associated with unreliable and lower quality power. End-users may use storage they own to generate revenue, via spot markets and/or under auspices of a contract or power purchase agreement for energy, capacity, or ancillary services.
Learn MoreTransportation Storage
The growth in the Electric Vehicles (EVs) market has important implications for the electricity grid. EVs will use an increasing amount of electricity – resulting in more generation operation with a commensurate increase of generation fuel use and air emissions. They will require additional capacity to make, transmit and deliver additional energy, especially during the electric grid’s peak demand times (times when the maximum power draw on the grid occurs).
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