Energy Storage: Can the UK be a world leader?
Last week's electricity storage symposium highlighted innovation in the UK
By Helena Wright
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By Helena Wright, ECIU
Last week, I attended the Symposium on Electricity Storage in Westminster, run by the Electricity Storage Network. There are some exciting innovations happening in energy storage in the UK.
Amber Rudd MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Climate Change, opened the event by highlighting some of the innovation DECC is supporting. For example, the CRESS system for shipping ports is a new technology which captures energy when a crane lowers the container and uses it to lift a new one.
It’s clear energy storage is vital for a low carbon future. Renewable energy from the wind and sun are fluctuating sources of power (intermittent). In a low-carbon energy system, we’ll need to store more wind and solar energy – so suppliers can meet peak demand when the wind stops blowing or during the night.
What is energy storage?
Energy storage comes in different shapes and sizes, from laptop and mobile phone batteries, to electric vehicle batteries right up to large-scale hydro-electricity storage. As we move towards a low-carbon energy system, storage will become more important. We will need to iron out the peaks and troughs in renewable energy supply, and match this up with demand.
In the UK, pumped storage facilities already play a vital role in meeting sudden demand spikes. Pumped storage involves moving water up and down a mountain. At off-peak times, low-cost electricity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. This can be released rapidly (within a few seconds) in times of need.
When I visited the National Grid Control Centre a few years ago, I saw the important role played by pumped generation. We saw in real-time how one of the lights on the control board went on when one of the hydro-electricity stations was used.
Dinorwig power station in Wales remains one of the largest pumped storage hydroelectric stations in the world. This is a ‘mature’ technology, meaning that it’s already been tried and tested. In fact, Dinorwig can switch on in just 12 seconds, from zero to 1.3 GW power – enough to power almost a million homes.
But this type of energy storage can’t be installed anywhere - it requires a particular geography. Other types of energy storage are now being developed that can be installed anywhere with minimal space. Some big milestones are predicted for energy storage in 2015 – average prices are expected to continue to fall and we can expect to see the world’s non-pumped storage capacity quadruple in size.
Of course, energy storage is not the only way to balance the intermittent supply from renewable energy. Interconnections with other countries, and demand side response can also play an important role. But considering the UK is an island nation and therefore less likely to rely on interconnections, the case for storage is even more apparent.
Leadership from the UK
There are several recent examples of UK leadership on energy storage. In Leighton Buzzard, the “largest battery in Europe” was recently installed. The system is large enough to power about 1,100 homes for a whole day.
Up in the Orkney Islands, there has been a major push to go 100% renewable. At the event last week, Sir John Samuel from REDT Ltd discussed the Orkney Islands’ plans for energy storage. Last year, data showed the Islands’ generated more than 100% of its’ electricity demand from renewables.
Another exciting innovation that was presented at the event was the use of compressed Liquid Air. Highview Power’s new pilot plant is being set up this year at the new Centre for Cryogenic Energy Storage at the University of Birmingham. The technology enables large-scale storage, and does not require much space.
However, speakers at the event discussed the need for the UK to stay ahead in these innovations, including providing R&D funding and a regulatory environment with incentives for energy storage. Otherwise, these world-leading UK companies might choose to relocate elsewhere.
Need for targets?
As speakers at the event pointed out, the UK does not currently have any targets for energy storage. A target could drive energy storage innovation forward - which could save the UK more than £4 Billion by 2050.
John Hayling of UK Power Networks pointed out there are barriers in place – with “double” taxes imposed both on storage and release of energy in some cases. We also “desperately” need more research on the levels of storage that are needed by 2020 and 2030.
Other ways of developing a ‘smarter’ energy system include making use of batteries in the growing numbers of Electric Vehicles. One audience member even suggested Google should set their software updates in off-peak times – saving both energy and money.
There’s arguably a need for more rapid UK leadership on the issue to avoid making the wrong choices. Jenny Banks from WWF pointed out at the event that some old coal-fired power stations like Longannet are due to close with implications for grid balancing. Instead of subsiding polluting coal-fired power stations to stay open, pumped storage could provide a much better long-term investment in line with the UK's climate change targets.
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