Types of Grid Scale Energy Storage Batteries

Energy storage systems play an important role in improving the reliability of electricity networks due to increasing contribution of electricity from intermittent sources like wind and solar. The main considerations in choosing a suitable storage system are cost and performance. Since the price for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) supplied to the network and battery energy storage system (BESS) costs are dynamic, consumers interested in a battery may have challenges in choosing between the various batteries available in the market. This study presents a the levelized cost of storage as a suitable method or approach for selecting the most suitable battery technology for household and industrial consumers. The future power systems are expected to have large proportions of intermittent energy sources like wind, solar, or tidal energy that require scale-up of energy storage to match the supply with hourly, daily, and seasonal electricity demand profiles. Available storage technologies include batteries, pumped hydroelectricity storage, compressed air energy storage, and power-to-gas storage. The energy transition to renewable energy supply calls for increased application of energy storage. Identification of optimal solutions requires a holistic view of the energy system beyond the electricity-only focus. In this study, an integrated cross-sector approach is adopted to identify the most efficient and least-cost storage options for off grid and grid scale application. Storage batteries can widely be divided into solid state batteries and flow batteries using solid and liquid electrolytes, respectively.