The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England
In this study, the potential of wind and solar power to reliably meet the electricity demand of New England is evaluated, as well as the role of energy storage in improving the reliability of the region's renewable energy system. Using 44 years of hourly weather data from 1980 to 2023 obtained...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024036831 |
| _version_ | 1797224174042742784 |
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| author | Sergio Freeman Ertan Agar |
| author_facet | Sergio Freeman Ertan Agar |
| author_sort | Sergio Freeman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, the potential of wind and solar power to reliably meet the electricity demand of New England is evaluated, as well as the role of energy storage in improving the reliability of the region's renewable energy system. Using 44 years of hourly weather data from 1980 to 2023 obtained from the NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis product, the variability of these renewable resources and their impact on the region's electricity supply and demand is investigated. With varying mixes of wind and solar resources and sufficient resources capacity to generate electricity equal to annual demand, we find that a wind-dominant system can meet approximately 73% of the region's hourly electricity demand, whereas a solar-dominant system can only meet about 69%. However, incorporating 12 h of energy storage enhances the overall reliability of a wind-dominant system to 86%. In comparison, incorporating the same amount of energy storage in a solar-dominant system results in an overall reliability of approximately 87%. Ultimately, our analysis shows that achieving 100% reliability in meeting the annual electricity demand of New England requires addressing the mismatch between electricity demand and resource availability in terms of both location and time. This can be achieved through the integration of significant amounts of energy storage and/or wind and solar resources installations capable of generating electricity that exceeds peak demand by at least 3 times. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:48:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f439870455d40b6a18e5a404f395d3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:48:55Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f439870455d40b6a18e5a404f395d3d2024-04-04T05:05:25ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-03-01106e27652The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New EnglandSergio Freeman0Ertan Agar1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USACorresponding author.; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USAIn this study, the potential of wind and solar power to reliably meet the electricity demand of New England is evaluated, as well as the role of energy storage in improving the reliability of the region's renewable energy system. Using 44 years of hourly weather data from 1980 to 2023 obtained from the NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis product, the variability of these renewable resources and their impact on the region's electricity supply and demand is investigated. With varying mixes of wind and solar resources and sufficient resources capacity to generate electricity equal to annual demand, we find that a wind-dominant system can meet approximately 73% of the region's hourly electricity demand, whereas a solar-dominant system can only meet about 69%. However, incorporating 12 h of energy storage enhances the overall reliability of a wind-dominant system to 86%. In comparison, incorporating the same amount of energy storage in a solar-dominant system results in an overall reliability of approximately 87%. Ultimately, our analysis shows that achieving 100% reliability in meeting the annual electricity demand of New England requires addressing the mismatch between electricity demand and resource availability in terms of both location and time. This can be achieved through the integration of significant amounts of energy storage and/or wind and solar resources installations capable of generating electricity that exceeds peak demand by at least 3 times.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024036831Electricity demandEnergy transitionGrid integrationLong-duration energy storage (LDES)Renewable energy |
| spellingShingle | Sergio Freeman Ertan Agar The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England Heliyon Electricity demand Energy transition Grid integration Long-duration energy storage (LDES) Renewable energy |
| title | The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England |
| title_full | The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England |
| title_fullStr | The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England |
| title_short | The impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in New England |
| title_sort | impact of energy storage on the reliability of wind and solar power in new england |
| topic | Electricity demand Energy transition Grid integration Long-duration energy storage (LDES) Renewable energy |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024036831 |
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