Industry experts recently told the New Energy Expo 2022 RE+ conference in California that long-duration energy storage systems are ready to meet many needs and scenarios, but that current market limitations are preventing the adoption of energy storage technologies beyond lithium-ion battery storage systems.
Current modeling practices underestimate the value of long-duration energy storage systems, and lengthy grid connection times can make emerging storage technologies obsolete when they are ready for deployment, these experts said.
Sara Kayal, global head of integrated photovoltaic solutions at Lightsourcebp, said that because of these issues, current requests for proposals typically limit bids for energy storage technologies to lithium-ion battery storage systems. But she noted that the incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act could change that trend.
As battery storage systems with durations of four to eight hours enter mainstream applications, long-duration energy storage may represent the next frontier in the clean energy transition. But getting long-duration energy storage projects off the ground remains a major challenge, according to the RE+ conference discussion panel on long-duration energy storage.
Molly Bales, senior business development manager at Form Energy, said the rapid deployment of renewable energy means the demand for energy storage systems is growing, and the extreme weather events encountered further underscore that need. Panelists noted that long-duration energy storage systems can store power cut by renewable energy sources and even restart during grid blackouts. But the technologies to fill those gaps won’t come from incremental change, said Kiran Kumaraswamy, vice president of business growth at Fluence: They won’t be as popular as today’s popular lithium-ion battery energy storage systems.
He said, “There are multiple long-duration energy storage technologies on the market today. I don’t think there is a clear-cut most popular long-term energy storage technology yet. But when the ultimate long-time energy storage technology emerges, it will have to offer a completely unique economic model.”
Industry experts point out that the idea of re-engineering utility-scale energy storage systems does exist, from pumped storage generation facilities and molten salt storage systems to unique battery chemistry storage technologies. But getting demonstration projects adopted so they can achieve large-scale deployment and operation is another matter.
Kayal says, “Asking for only lithium-ion battery storage systems in many bids now doesn’t give energy storage developers the option to provide solutions that can address cutting carbon emissions.”
In addition to state-level policies, incentives in the Reducing Inflation Act that provide support for new energy storage technologies should help provide more opportunities for these new ideas, Kayal said, but other barriers remain unresolved. For example, modeling practices are based on assumptions about typical weather and operating conditions, which would make many energy storage technologies available for unique propositions designed to address resiliency issues during droughts, wildfires or extreme winter storms.
Grid-tie delays have also become a significant barrier to long-duration energy storage, said Carrie Bellamy, Malt’s director of commercialization. But at the end of the day, the energy storage market wants clarity on more suitable long-duration storage technologies, and with the current interconnection schedule, it seems increasingly unlikely that breakthrough storage technologies will emerge by 2030 to increase adoption rates.
Michael Foster, vice president of solar and energy storage procurement at Avantus, said, “At some point, we will be able to outperform on new technologies because certain technologies are now obsolete.”
Post time: Sep-28-2022