Adding batteries to renewable power plants could increase the electricity market value of solar and wind energy in areas with transmission congestion, according to a recent study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The study, which was published in Renewable Energy, looked at the benefits of so-called hybrid plants that combine renewable energy with battery storage. Researchers found that increasing a wind or solar plant’s battery storage from one to four hours could increase the value of its energy by nearly 30 percent in some areas.
“For renewables that don’t operate at all hours, adding storage can be particularly valuable,” said Dev Millstein, a research scientist at Berkeley Lab and an author of the study. “That value becomes more important as you get more and more renewables on the grid.”
Batteries would allow power plants to dispatch energy during the highest-value hours, Millstein said. That could prove particularly lucrative in areas where the transmission system doesn’t have enough capacity to deliver the cheapest available power to where it’s in greatest demand. Congestion can occur during times when energy demand is high — such as in a heat wave or cold snap — or when energy supply outstrips transmission capacity.
