Since a large portion of electricity on the national grid is generated using natural gas, these storage facilities also help stabilise domestic and business electricity rates.
What is electricity storage?
Electricity storage is an emerging market and we work to ensure storage developments are integrated efficiently and effectively into the existing distribution network. We expect storage projects to exponentially grow over the long term and become a key part of the UK and Ireland's energy infrastructure.
Installed electrical energy storage generation capacity in the UK for 2019 was 3,465 MW, with storage potential of 39.3 GWh, and supplying 1.8 TWh (BEIS, 2020e; National Grid, 2020; BEIS, 2020f). The generation capacity comprises 2,828 MW of pumped hydro storage (PHS), 632 MW battery, 5 MW liquid air (BEIS, 2020e).
What types of energy storage technologies can an electricity grid use?
An electricity grid can use numerous energy storage technologies as shown in Fig. 2, which are generally categorised in six groups: electrical, mechanical, electrochemical, thermochemical, chemical, and thermal. Depending on the energy storage and delivery characteristics, an ESS can serve many roles in an electricity market . Fig. 2.
Energy storage can bring benefits to transmission and distribution networks, greatly reducing the need to invest in reinforcements for the grid. Policy change to allow DNOs to install and operate ES systems as current licence conditions prevent this are hotly debated at present and a consensus is needed.
How can electricity storage help manage supply and demand?
As we head towards a net zero system, electricity storage will play a vital role in helping manage supply and demand. There are various electricity storage technologies with different technical and commercial characteristics that can serve this purpose, with a wide range of outcomes for their future deployment.
In the UK, Ofgem have funded a number of innovative projects aimed at the transition to a low carbon grid (the Low Carbon Network Fund). Many of these projects have included energy storage, as illustrated in the map below. Energy storage stands at something of a crossroads in the UK at the time of publication (autumn 2016).