ENERGY STORAGE: WHERE SHOULD IT GO and HOW SHOULD IT BE PRICED? — Purely Creative Solutions

ENERGY STORAGE: WHERE SHOULD IT GO and HOW SHOULD IT BE PRICED? (271)

Keith O Mitchell

This paper analyses the impacts of battery energy storage located in typical low and medium voltage radial distribution networks. Various options for battery capacity and location have been considered and the resulting feeder loads and voltage drops modelled on a radial load flow program. Both a generic 10-node low voltage feeder off a 10-node medium voltage feeder and an actual 77-node low voltage feeder were modelled. Consistent results were obtained with both models. The paper concludes that a solution that is near optimum and offers economy of scale is to share storage among a group of about 25 to 30 residential units. Energy storage pricing issues are also discussed, and the conclusion reached that a flat net energy tariff regime, coupled with a power/energy type price structure could be the simplest and easiest to implement for storage-owning customers.