As the electrical grid comes to depend more and more on intermittent renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, it is becoming important to be able to store electricity for later use.
There is a lot of development work in energy storage technologies and available options are growing. The basic premise is well understood: make electricity whenever you can, and use it when you need it.
Less clear is the economic value of storage in today’s grid. The electrical grid is a massive economic system that is subject to a bewildering number of regulations. Using technologies such as energy storage requires a thorough understanding of the costs and benefits that can be derived.
This fall, the California Independent System Operator will be conducting a two-month study that will include tests of commercial-scale energy storage services provided by the University of California at San Diego. UCSD has what is probably the largest installation of energy storage projects at any US university comprising five megawatts of capacity.
The University itself saves nearly $800,000 a year on its electric bills using the storage capabilities within its own microgrid. It produces most of its own electricity from biogas, fuel cells and solar panels.
The forthcoming study will seek to answer some of the questions facing utilities around the country, as they contemplate the use of storage technologies within their grids. Before they can commit to these new technologies, they need to know exactly what to expect.
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University of California To Test Energy Storage Grid Services
Photo, taken on September 2, 2010, courtesy of WalMart via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.