Connect with us

Published

on

With declining technology costs and increasing renewable deployment, energy storage is poised to be a valuable resource on future power grids — but what is the total market potential for storage technologies, and what are the key drivers of cost-optimal deployment?

In the latest report from the Storage Futures Study (SFS), Economic Potential of Diurnal Storage in the U.S. Power Sector, NREL analysts Will Frazier, Wesley Cole, Paul Denholm, Scott Machen, and Nate Blair, describe significant market potential for utility-scale diurnal storage (up to 12 hours) in the U.S. power system through 2050. They found storage adds the most value to the grid and deployment increases when the power system allows storage to simultaneously provide multiple grid services and when there is greater solar photovoltaic (PV) penetration.

“We find significant market potential for diurnal energy storage across a variety of modeled scenarios, mostly occurring by 2030,” said Will Frazier, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analyst and lead author of the report. “To realize cost-optimal storage deployment, the power system will need to allow storage to provide capacity and energy time-shifting grid services.”

The SFS — led by NREL and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Storage Grand Challenge — is a multiyear research project to explore how advancing energy storage technologies could impact the deployment of utility-scale storage and adoption of distributed storage, including impacts to future power system infrastructure investment and operations.

Expanded Capabilities to Model Storage Potential

For this work, researchers added new capabilities to NREL’s Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model to accurately represent the value of diurnal battery energy storage when it is allowed to provide grid services — an inherently complex modeling challenge. Cost and performance metrics focus on Li-ion batteries because the technology has more market maturity than other emerging technologies. Because the value of storage depends greatly on timing, ReEDS simulated system operations every hour.

NREL researchers used ReEDS to model two sets of scenarios — one that allows storage to provide multiple grid services and one that restricts the services that storage can provide. All the scenarios use different cost and performance assumptions for storage, wind, solar PV, and natural gas to determine the key drivers of energy storage deployment.

Installed Storage Capacity Could Increase Five-Fold by 2050

Across all scenarios in the study, utility-scale diurnal energy storage deployment grows significantly through 2050, totaling over 125 gigawatts of installed capacity in the modest cost and performance assumptions — a more than five-fold increase from today’s total. Depending on cost and other variables, deployment could total as much as 680 gigawatts by 2050.

Chart courtesy of NREL — grid-scale U.S. storage capacity could grow five-fold by 2050.

Chart courtesy of NREL — grid-scale U.S. storage capacity could grow five-fold by 2050.

“These are game-changing numbers,” Frazier said. “Today we have 23 gigawatts of storage capacity, all of which is pumped-hydro.”

Initially, the new storage deployment is mostly shorter duration (up to 4 hours) and then progresses to longer durations (up to 12 hours) as deployment increases, mostly because longer-duration storage is currently more expensive. In 2030, annual deployment of battery storage ranges from 1 to 30 gigawatts across the scenarios. By 2050, annual deployment ranges from 7 to 77 gigawatts.

System Flexibility Key to Storage Deployment

To understand what could drive future grid-scale storage deployment, NREL modeled the techno-economic potential of storage when it is allowed to independently provide three grid services: capacity, energy time-shifting, and operating reserves.

  • Blue — Energy Time-Shifting & Operating Reserves (No Firm Capacity From Storage)
  • Black — Firm Capacity & Energy Time-Shifting (No Operating Reserves From Storage)
  • Green — Firm Capacity & Operating Reserves (No Energy Time-Shifting From Storage)

NREL found not allowing storage to provide firm capacity impacts future deployment the most, although not allowing firm capacity or energy time-shifting services can also substantially decrease potential deployment. Operating reserves, on the hand, do not drive the deployment of storage within the study because they find limited overall market potential for this service.

Storage and Solar Symbiosis

Multiple NREL studies have pointed to the symbiotic nature of solar and storage, and this study reinforces that relationship. More PV generation makes peak demand periods shorter and decreases how much energy capacity is needed from storage — thereby increasing the value of storage capacity and effectively decreasing the cost of storage by allowing shorter-duration batteries to be a competitive source of peaking capacity. NREL found over time the value of energy storage in providing peaking capacity increases as load grows and existing generators retire.

Solar PV generation also has a strong relationship with time-shifting services. More PV generation creates more volatile energy price profiles, increasing the potential of storage energy time-shifting. Like peaking capacity, the value of energy time-shifting grows over time with increased PV penetration.

Next Up in the Storage Futures Study

The SFS will continue to explore topics from the foundational report that outlines a visionary framework for the possible evolution of the stationary energy storage industry — and the power system as a whole.

The next report in the series will assess customer adoption potential of distributed diurnal storage for several future scenarios. The study will also include the larger impacts of storage deployment on power system evolution and operations.

Visit the Storage Futures Study page for more information about the broader study, and learn more about NREL’s energy analysis research.

Learn More in June 22 Webinar

Join a webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. MT on Tuesday, June 22, to learn more about SFS results with Will Frazier and Nate Blair and hear from SFS analyst Paul Denholm on the visionary framework for the possible evolution of the stationary energy storage industry, outlined in the first report in the series. Register to attend.

Article courtesy of NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy.

Image courtesy of 8minute Solar Energy, plus Energy storage project.


Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.


 



 


Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Continue Reading

Environment

Watch what happens when an electric hydrofoil boat hits big chop & waves

Published

on

By

Watch what happens when an electric hydrofoil boat hits big chop & waves

The Candela P-12 is the first hydrofoil electric ferry in the world to begin commercial operations. The 30-seat electric ferry uses a set of computer-controlled hydrofoil wings to fly above the surface of the water, resulting in a smoother and more efficient ride. But what happens when the seas get rough?

Most of the time, we see slickly edited marketing videos of hydrofoil electric boats smoothly soaring above relatively calm water. It’s an awesome visual, watching the blade-like struts that support the boat’s hydrofoils leave mere ripples on the glassy surface of the water. But it also begs the question, “What happens on anything other than a calm sailing day?”

In a recently shared video, we get a chance to see exactly what it looks like when one of those boats encounters significantly less friendly water in the Baltic Sea.

You know, the kind that would make stomachs like mine offer a refund on their lunch.

A Candela P-12 electric ferry operating in Nynäshamn, Sweden was recently filmed operating in 50 km/h (31 mph) wind that whipped up the choppy water and resulted in swells as high as 2 meters (6.5 feet).

A film team on the accompanying RIB (rigid inflatable boat) could be seen getting bounced around while the Candela P-12 ferry maintained its smooth flight over the chop and swells.

“It was such a smooth ride,” remarked one of the passengers on the ferry. “It’s actually quite nice because before we started foiling, you could really feel the waves. And then once we started going up on the foils it all disappears. And then I looked out and I can see the rib was just bouncing up and down meanwhile inside of our boat it’s smooth. It’s quite a unique experience.”

This electric ferry, named NOVA, has been operating since late 2024 when it took its maiden voyage on a route from Tappström in Sweden. There it reached its destination at Stockholm City Hall, a distance of around 15 km (9 mile), in just 30 minutes. That’s around half the time it normally takes to cover the same route by car or public transit.

Electric ferries like these are now enabling much quicker and more cost-effective commutes in areas with convenient waterways, helping to reduce both emissions and travel time for the public. With fast charging capabilities, the boats can quickly recharge while at each harbor, ensuring all-day operations. With the use of hydrofoils compared to traditional displacement ferries, the boats use significantly less energy and result in a much more comfortable ride for passengers.

Having personally piloted multiple Candela hydrofoil boats myself, I can attest firsthand to the impressive performance.

While on a trip to Stockholm, the company let me get an early test ride and take out their C-8 electric speedboat while it was still in its final stages of production. It didn’t have all of its luxury gear installed yet, but the flight system was working in true form, allowing me to slice across the wake left by cruise ships coming into port.

You can check out that experience in my video below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Trump just canceled the federal NEVI EV charger program

Published

on

By

Trump just canceled the federal NEVI EV charger program

Trump’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a memo ordering states to suspend all state EV infrastructure deployment plans under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

Trump’s FHWA orders NEVI suspension

The $5 billion NEVI program is the big rollout of EV charging infrastructure across the US that was funded by the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Act, and it’s already well underway.

Under the NEVI program, states have to send their plans to the FHWA annually, detailing how they’ll use the funds. During the Biden administration, the FHWA signed off on the first four out of five fiscal years of plans through 2025. However, not all of it has been “obligated” to EV infrastructure projects.

Trump’s FHWA has told states in this memo that they can’t commit funds that were already approved to new EV charging infrastructure. However, money that was already committed is not affected. 

The memo reads:

Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new State plans are submitted and approved. Instructions for the submission of new State plans for all fiscal years will be included in the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance. Since FHWA is suspending the existing State plans, States will be held harmless for not implementing their existing plans. Until new guidance is issued, reimbursement of existing obligations will be allowed in order to not disrupt current financial commitments.

Electrek’s Take

I asked Loren McDonald, chief analyst at Paren, what his thoughts were on this latest cancellation, and he, among others (myself included), doesn’t think the FHWA has the authority to stop the NEVI program with a memo – it would need a change in law from Congress – and then the courts will settle it. (Who else is beginning to see a Trump administration theme here?) McDonald said:

 I don’t believe FHWA has the authority to pause or rescind any aspect of NEVI. The Trump administration is clearly trying to stop or pause programs like NEVI for as long as they can, but I assume lawsuits from states will start soon, and this will go to court and Congress … but the Trump admin will succeed in just causing havoc and slowing things down for a while. In the end, the Trump administration will likely fail, as only Congress can fundamentally revise and stop the NEVI program.

But, as with everything else rolled back the last few weeks, this will cause chaos and delays. This will cause serious damage to businesses nationwide – from EV charging companies (including Tesla, one of the largest NEVI recipients) to convenience stores and other host sites – and will waste money and cost people jobs.

It should also be noted that NEVI is the very reason that the NACS charging standard exists in the first place.

NEVI was limited only to chargers that could serve multiple makes of vehicles – a reasonable step, that government wouldn’t want to do a giveaway to a single, proprietary company. This is what caused Tesla to release NACS as a standard in the first place, so that its chargers could access NEVI money.

Then, when the entire industry switched over to the NACS standard, that signaled a potential long period of leadership in EV charging for Tesla. The company could have been the primary energy provider for EVs in North America for years or even decades to come as a result.

Now, an administration that Elon Musk is involved in is killing the very program that could have led to his company’s dominance in energy delivery – after also firing the entire team that was responsible for making the NACS standard in the first place.

What an awesome way to make America great again.

Read more: Q4 2024 update: 12,000 more US EV charging ports in 3 months


If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

There’s finally(!) an automatic fix to restart failed EV charging sessions

Published

on

By

There's finally(!) an automatic fix to restart failed EV charging sessions

The ChargeX Consortium has figured out how to automatically restart failed EV charging sessions at fast chargers so drivers don’t have to.

Every EV driver has been there. You plug in, walk away to grab food or run errands, and expect your battery to be juicing up at a DC fast charger, only to return and realize nothing happened. Maybe the session failed, or maybe the charger glitched. Either way, you’re stuck unplugging, plugging back in, and now it’s going to take twice as long to charge.

The ChargeX Consortium (National Charging Experience Consortium), which is made up of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), along with industry stakeholders, has come up with a smart fix for one of the most frustrating parts of public EV charging: failed sessions.

Its new report highlights the benefits of what it calls “seamless retry” – a hands-free tech solution that automatically restarts failed charging attempts. In other words, the driver no longer needs to physically unplug and replug the charging connector when a charging session fails.

The consortium’s new tech is designed specifically for DC fast charging. The “novel mechanism” automatically resets both the EV and the charger, then restarts the session in the background, so drivers don’t have to return to the car – or even have to think about it.

Ed Watt, a researcher at NREL and lead author of the “Recommended Practice Seamless Retry for Electric Vehicle Charging” report, said, “With a seamless retry mechanism in place, an EV driver at a retail center can plug in a charging connector, provide user input data, leave to shop, and feel confident that they will return to a charged vehicle.” (Click on the report link to see the specifics of how the novel mechanism works.)

The researchers didn’t just focus on the perks of seamless retry – they also looked at potential downsides. One concern was the extra time it might take for the system to restart a failed session, which could leave drivers frustrated. To tackle that, the consortium suggests that the EV industry provide transparency in the form of real-time status updates, insights into what went wrong, and recommendations based on the type of charging failure and number of attempts made.

Going forward, as the user experience becomes clearer, more work will fine-tune seamless retry. The ChargeX Consortium will keep refining the system – developing smarter, more targeted retry methods, ironing out implementation details, and running verification tests to make sure everything works seamlessly in the real world.

Read more: The latest US EV sales and charger growth – in numbers


To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending