Key Roles of Energy Storage
- Mitigating Variability: Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are intermittent, meaning their output can vary based on weather conditions. Energy storage helps smooth this variability by storing energy when it is abundant and releasing it during periods of low production, ensuring a consistent supply to the grid.
- Enhancing Grid Stability: Energy storage systems provide short-term grid services such as frequency regulation and load following. These services help maintain grid stability by rapidly injecting or withdrawing power as needed, especially during sudden changes in renewable energy production.
- Energy Shifting: Storage allows for shifting renewable energy generated during off-peak hours to peak demand periods. For example, solar energy generated during the day can be stored and used in the evening when demand is higher, ensuring that renewable energy contributes to peak power needs.
- Facilitating Higher Renewable Penetration: As the share of renewable energy in grids increases, energy storage helps manage the associated challenges, such as increased variability and peak demand management, making it possible to integrate higher levels of renewable energy without compromising grid reliability.
- Reduction of Curtailment: Energy storage reduces the need to curtail renewable energy generation during periods of low demand. By storing excess energy, storage systems ensure that renewable energy is not wasted, maximizing its value and reducing the economic impact of intermittency.
While energy storage is not strictly necessary for integrating renewable energy sources, it is becoming increasingly important as the penetration of renewables grows. Other strategies like transmission expansion and flexible generation also support renewable integration, but energy storage provides unique benefits in terms of grid stability and efficiency.
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