Cycling Hardware to Analyze and Ready Grid-Scale Electricity Storage
Program Description:
Innovation Need:
Advanced energy storage promises to play a key role in the modernization of our nation’s electricity grid. While relatively little storage is deployed on today’s grid, tomorrow’s grid will need widespread energy storage to enable the cost-effective integration of ever-increasing amounts of renewables, allow deferral of infrastructure investments, reduce transmission losses, and provide backup power and grid stabilization during emergencies. Since storage can provide many valuable grid services, it is likely that future storage devices will be called upon to perform multiple functions, resulting in very demanding duty cycles. At CHARGES’ two sites, teams of experts are evaluating scenarios to anticipate these duty cycles and testing ARPA-E-funded storage devices against these requirements. Performance data generated by the CHARGES program will guide battery developers as they improve their technologies as well as provide end-users of energy storage systems with validated information from a trusted third party about the performance and value of novel grid storage technologies that are currently in development.
Potential Impact:
If successful, CHARGES projects will accelerate the adoption of grid storage systems by establishing reliable, third-party evaluations of ARPA-E energy storage technologies’ capabilities and providing data on a storage system’s economic value.
Security:
Greater utilization of grid storage systems can boost the resiliency of the grid in emergencies and improve the overall use of our expensive transmission resources.
Environment:
Grid storage systems can facilitate the expansion of distributed power generation, including intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power.
Economy:
Economically competitive grid storage systems can spur demand for storage, leading to new manufacturing and installation jobs in the United States, and reduce the need for over-capacity in power generation, improving the cost structure of electric power delivery.
Contact
Project Listing
• University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) - Grid Energy Storage Valuation