Page 41 - European Energy Innovation - Summer 2017 publication

Summer 2017 European Energy Innovation 41

ENERGY STORAGE

demand and release it back into the Smart Grids Interoperability Laboratories: The Smart Grids Interoperability
grid during high demand. Energy Laboratories at JRC Ispra and Petten support the development of the EU policies
storage can also contribute to by testing of the interoperability of the devices and systems that are part of the
stabilising the electricity grid, making power grid.
it possible to ensure sufficient and
reliable supply while increasingly
reliability on variable renewable
sources.

In the future, energy storage is
expected to play a key role in
improving the security and efficiency of
electricity supply and in enabling the
EU to develop a low-carbon electricity
system by facilitating the market
introduction of renewables.

UNDERSTANDING FUTURE
STORAGE NEEDS
New energy production patterns
change the requirements for storage
facilities. At the same time, these
changes open up new opportunities
for energy storage use by contributing
to decarbonisation in the industry and
transport sectors.

Scientists at the Joint Research technologies in Europe over the next power system and market modelling
Centre (JRC) study the operations five decades. project at the JRC.
of advanced energy systems and
technologies to understand future “All short term and long term Using these models, JRC scientists have
needs for flexibility and storage. The operations need to be taken into also demonstrated that more ambitious
JRC is using modelling techniques to consideration to understand the CO2 reduction targets with higher
assess different aspects of the power future role of storage. In the context shares of renewable energy would
grid, from individual storage units of decentralised power storage, we trigger the investment into storage
used by households to the long-term have observed a growing number of facilities.
developments within the entire energy households that use battery storage
system. to complement already installed PV HYDROGEN FROM RENEWABLES
panels. The question arises whether LINKS THE ELECTRICITY SYSTEM
The JRC has developed a chain of these self-producers will gradually WITH TRANSPORT, RESIDENTIAL
models to assess future storage become fully self-sufficient and AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORS
needs. At one end of this chain, a disconnect themselves from the Hydrogen is not a primary energy
collection of models is used to simulate general power grid. Using different source such as coal or gas but an
the operation of centralised and models, we have been able to show energy carrier, similar to electricity. Its
decentralised power storage in the that these ‘prosumers’ are unlikely capacity to store and deliver energy
market context. At the other end, an to disconnect from the grid but that in widely useable forms makes it one
energy system model is used to study they will underutilize it in the future”, of the most promising alternative
long term energy pathways within explains Andreas Zucker, leader of the fuels for future transport applications.
the entire energy system. With this
model, JRC scientists can determine
the required investments in energy

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