Utility-scale battery storage systems provide critical grid services across three primary categories:
Energy Services
- Capacity and resource adequacy: Stores surplus energy for rapid discharge during peak demand, improving price stability and reliability during extreme weather or outages.
- Solar firming and renewables shifting: Smoothes intermittent renewable generation by filling gaps caused by weather or time-of-day variability.
- Energy arbitrage: Charges during low-cost periods and discharges when electricity prices rise, reducing overall energy costs.
- Curtailment mitigation: Captures excess renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted and shifts it to high-demand periods.
Ancillary Services
- Frequency regulation: Instantaneously injects or absorbs power to maintain grid frequency near 60 Hz, preventing disruptions.
- Voltage support: Stabilizes voltage levels through rapid power adjustments, enhancing grid reliability.
- Ramping/spinning reserve: Provides immediate backup power during sudden generation or demand changes, outperforming conventional thermal plants in response speed.
Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Services
- T&D upgrade deferral: Reduces strain on infrastructure by supplying power locally, delaying costly grid upgrades.
- Peak shaving: Lowers demand on transmission lines during high-usage periods, optimizing existing grid capacity.
- Loss mitigation: Improves efficiency by delivering power closer to demand centers, reducing line losses.
These services enable higher renewable energy penetration while maintaining grid stability and reducing operational costs.
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