Traditional ways to improve storage technologies are to reduce their costs; however, the cheapest energy storage is not always the most valuable in energy systems. Modern techno-economical evaluation methods try to address the cost and value situation but do not judge the competitiveness of multiple technologies simultaneously.
In most energy systems models, reliability and sustainability are forced by constraints, and if energy demand is exogenous, this leaves cost as the main metric for economic value. Traditional ways to improve storage technologies are to reduce their costs; however, the cheapest energy storage is not always the most valuable in energy systems.
In general, energy storage systems can provide value to the energy system by reducing its total system cost; and reducing risk for any investment and operation. This paper discusses total system cost reduction in an idealised model without considering risks.
It shows that the introduction of optimised sizing can lead to electricity bill savings of roughly half a cent, with the H2 -Hub scenario contributing only to negligible more savings. As a result, increasing design freedom of energy storage can be desirable for a cheaper electricity system and should be considered while designing technology.
Storage can reduce the cost of electricity for developing country economies while providing local and global environmental benefits. Lower storage costs increase both electricity cost savings and environmental benefits.
Energy storage technologies are also the key to lowering energy costs and integrating more renewable power into our grids, fast. If we can get this right, we can hold on to ever-rising quantities of renewable energy we are already harnessing – from our skies, our seas, and the earth itself.