A new type of energy storage system could revolutionise energy storage and drop the charging time of electric cars from hours to seconds.

In a new paper published today in the journal Nature Chemistry, chemists from the University of Glasgow discuss how they developed a flow battery system using a nano-molecule that can store electric power or hydrogen gas giving a new type of hybrid energy storage system that can be used as a flow battery or for hydrogen storage.

Their ‘hybrid-electric-hydrogen’ flow battery, based upon the design of a nanoscale battery molecule can store energy, releasing the power on demand as electric power or hydrogen gas that can be used a fuel. When a concentrated liquid containing the nano-molecules is made, the amount of energy it can store increases by almost 10 times. The energy can be released as either electricity or hydrogen gas meaning that the system could be used flexibly in situations that might need either a fuel or electric power.

One potential benefit of this system is that electric cars could be charged in seconds, as the material is a pumpable liquid. This could mean that the battery of an electric car could be “recharged” in roughly the same length of time as petrol cars can be filled up. The old battery liquid would be removed at the same time and recharged ready to be used again.

The approach was designed and developed by Professor Leroy (Lee) Cronin, the University of Glasgow’s Regius Chair of Chemistry, and Dr. Mark Symes, Senior Lecturer in Electrochemistry, also at the University of Glasgow with Dr. Jia Jia Chen, who is a researcher in the team. They are convinced that this result will help pave the way for the development of new energy storage systems that could be used in electric cars, for the storage of renewable energy, and to develop electric-to-gas energy systems for when a fuel is required.

Professor Cronin said: “For future renewables to be effective high capacity and flexible energy storage systems are needed to smooth out the peaks and troughs in supply. Our approach will provide a new route to do this electrochemically and could even have application in electric cars where batteries can still take hours to recharge and have limited capacity. Moreover, the very high energy density of our material could increase the range of electric cars, and also increase the resilience of energy storage systems to keep the lights on at times of peak demand.”

For an RTO trying to fit energy storage in its system, one of the hardest tasks is how to characterize storage. It is supply and load, but RTO rules generally take a binary approach to power system resources. It has to be one or the other, not both.

That approach can hinder the use of energy storage in the capacity and energy markets, which many analysts say is key to optimizing the economics of energy storage.

FERC’s Order 841 directs RTOs such as MISO to change their rules to give energy storage broader access to participate in wholesale energy, capacity and ancillary services markets.

However, energy storage can not only act as generation and load, it can perform those functions from either side of the meter. Meanwhile, FERC’s jurisdiction only applies to wholesale power markets.

The question of proper jurisdiction could prove to be one of the most pivotal challenges. Existing regulations were not set up to handle distribution-connected storage devices that can also supply the wholesale market.

Stakeholders such as the Transmission Access Policy Study Group (TAPS) and Xcel Energy have filed at FERC arguing that the federal regulator does not have jurisdiction to mandate that energy storage resources on the distribution system be able to participate in wholesale markets.

In that filing, Xcel argued that allowing distribution-connected storage to provide retail and wholesale services “oversteps the limits on the Commission’s jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act by interfering in state jurisdiction over retail sales and affecting the ability to preserve distribution system reliability.”

MISO and other stakeholders in March filed with FERC asking for an extension on the deadline the regulatory agency set for Order 841 compliance, as well as clarification on the jurisdiction issue.

The automotive industry’s use of lithium-ion batteries is on track to grow seven-fold to 650 GWh by 2025, from 70 GWh in 2017; the increase in energy storage, although from a lower base, will add to this, says specialist international publisher Metal Bulletin.

It adds that the electrification of vehicles and the need to store electricity, generated by renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, point to huge demand growth for lithium-ion batteries.

Government subsidies and incentives in many countries – most notably China – are encouraging sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and e-buses.

For now, the cost of manufacturing EVs remains more expensive than a vehicle powered by a comparable petrol or diesel internal combustion engine (ICE), owing to the cost of the EV’s battery pack.

However, economies of scale are at work in bringing down battery costs; and as EV and ICE vehicle prices converge, the cheaper running cost of EVs is expected to make them the vehicle of choice.

Battery pack costs have fallen to around $200/kWh this year, from around $1 000/kWh in 2010, and may reach a battery cell cost of $100/kWh this year, with its battery pack costs expected to reach that level in 2020.

The $100/kWh price tag for a battery pack is thought to be the tipping point where EV and ICE costs are similar.

Metal Bulletin further expects many consumers to see EVs as a must-have status symbol well before prices converge. The publisher questions whether raw material supply will be able to respond in time.

“In most cases, the supply chain is coping with the rollout of EVs but the technology is at the start of the ‘S’-curve. The entire supply chain must work hard and in a coordinated way to feed this new supercharged era.

The supply response from raw material producers to processors, cathode and battery manufacturers and original-equipment manufacturers will be massive, with output needing to increase many times over in a short period to keep up with even the more conservative demand outlooks,” notes Metal Bulletin.

To keep pace with the changing dynamics of the energy markets, India is now working toward a National Energy Storage Mission (NESM). In February 2018, a committee with representatives from relevant ministries, industry associations, research institutions and experts, was constituted by the MNRE to propose a draft for setting up NESM in India.

The Minister for Power, Raj Kumar Singh, apprised the Lok Sabha about this initiative.

“The committee has proposed a draft NESM with objective to strive for leadership in energy storage sector by creating an enabling policy and regulatory framework that encourages manufacturing, deployment, innovation and further cost reduction,” Singh said.

Singh said NITI Aayog and the Rocky Mountain Institute’s joint report on India’s Energy Storage Mission has proposed a three-stage solution approach: creating an environment for battery manufacturing growth, scaling supply chain strategies and scaling battery cell manufacturing.

Energy storage is one of the most crucial and critical components missing in India’s energy infrastructure strategy and is a must to sustain India’s transformation from fossil fuels to renewables. Key areas for energy storage application include integrating renewable energy with distribution and transmission grids, setting rural micro-grids with diversified loads or standalone systems and developing the storage component of electric mobility plans.

Recently, the MNRE brought battery energy storage systems (BESS) under the ambit of the Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Component Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration under BIS Act) Order 2017.

Mercom previously reported that India could account for more than one-third of the global market for electric vehicle (EV) batteries by 2030 if it becomes a 100-percent EV nation, according to a study conducted by Niti Aayog and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

India’s renewable energy sector needs a strong backbone in the form of a robust energy storage industry in order to sustain its growth trajectory. In a recent interview with Mercom, Naveen Sharma, the vice president of energy storage provider Exicom, noted that India’s current position in the battery manufacturing sector could hinder its plans to add more renewable energy. The solution, he said, is for the country to create a strategy to transform itself into a global hub for energy storage solutions.

CARMEL, Ind. — MISO last week laid out a more detailed proposal for how it will determine the capacity accreditation of electric storage resources under FERC Order 841.

The RTO is proposing to determine electric storage resources’ capacity based on two different measurements: the resource’s power output capability and its energy storage capacity as measured by MISO’s generator verification test capacity (GVTC).

Speaking at an Aug. 8 Resource Adequacy Subcommittee meeting, Senior Adviser of Capacity Market Administration Rick Kim said the rule will ensure both a megawatt and megawatt-hour measurement of a storage resource’s capability.

Kim said for storage resources under 10 MW or that have fewer than 12 months of operational data, MISO will apply a 5% default equivalent forced outage rate in its unforced capacity calculation. Other storage resources will be assigned a forced outage rate based on their quarterly data inputs to MISO’s generating availability data system (GADS). GADS reporting is required for storage resources 10 MW and above and optional for those under 10 MW.

Because NERC hasn’t yet addressed unit reporting for storage resources, Kim said resource operators should use the “miscellaneous” unit type option when reporting unit data.

“It’s going to be another year before we see registration of energy storage resources,” he added.

Kim also said storage resources connected to the transmission system will require either network resource interconnection service or firm transmission service with MISO to ensure capacity deliverability. If resources are connected at the distribution level, MISO will ensure deliverability with the distribution provider and transmission owner on a “case-by-case” basis, he said.

MISO has said that when storage resources are connected at the distribution level, market participants “must have sufficient metering or accounting for non-wholesale transactions to prevent double counting of energy.”

The RTO in June said it would accommodate Order 841 by dividing storage bid parameters into four operating modes: discharging, charging, continuous operations and offline. Market participants will be left to choose a mode for individual dispatch intervals and will also be responsible for managing the state of charge of their storage units. (See MISO Weighing Feedback to Storage Proposal.) Storage resources will be able to set prices under MISO’s extended LMP.

Minnesota electric cooperative Connexus Energy has confirmed recent press reports that it is building 15MW / 30MWh of battery energy storage, while another not-for-profit, Vermont Electric Cooperative, will build a 1.9MW / 5.3MWh system in its service area.

Connexus is part of Great River Energy, an electric transmission and generation cooperative and the second largest utility in Minnesota. Connexus serves about 130,000 residential and commercial properties in its service area. It issued a statement yesterday stating that the “innovative” solar-plus-storage project is now under construction.

Pairing 10MW of solar across two sites with 15MW of battery storage, also split between the Ramsey and Athens Township solar farm sites, the cooperative wants to use the combination to help manage peak demand. A subsidiary of major developer NextEra Energy will build, own and operate the lithium-ion battery storage systems, which Connexus said will be “fully integrated” with the solar PV. ENGIE North America will be responsible for the solar portions of the projects.

“Energy prices differ throughout the day. Most solar energy is produced when there is lower demand and the price is lower. Our plan is to discharge the stored solar energy during peak hours when energy costs are the highest. We refer to this as time-shifting solar energy to a time of day when it has more value,” Greg Ridderbusch, Connexus CEO said.

Ridderbusch said that the utility had listened to its members, who want more renewable energy on their network, Ridderbusch said, but did not want to pay more for their electricity.

A 2017 study found Minnesota could use energy storage and solar as part of a “least-cost path forward” in direct competition with gas turbines. ‘Modernising Minnesota’s Grid: An economic analysis of energy storage opportunities’, was produced by University of Minnesota’s Energy Transition Lab with Strategen Consulting and Vibrant Clean Energy.

Among the key findings of that report were:

• Under an optimal set of future energy resource investments and operating practices, the least-cost solutions included energy storage.
• Energy storage can be a cost-effective means to help Minnesota meet its state greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals.
• The deployment of storage in Minnesota was projected to increase the use of low-cost renewable energy generation dispatched in MISO and to reduce the need for expensive transmission investments.
• Historically, utilities have used gas combustion turbines to meet peak demand. As storage becomes more cost-effective, it will compete with and displace new gas combustion peaking plants (peakers).
• Compared to a simple-cycle gas-fired peaking plant, storage was more cost-effective at meeting Minnesota’s capacity needs beyond 2022.
• Additionally, the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) which discounts storage purchases when made with solar, already makes solar-plus-storage more cost-effective than a peaking plant as well as having an environmental benefit in reducing GHGs.

MISO’s Energy Storage Task Force is making a bid to broaden its role by seeking the authority to evaluate storage issues in addition to identifying them.

The group moved to revise its charter during a Tuesday conference, but any proposed changes are subject to approval by the Steering Committee at its next meeting.

The task force is currently limited to only identifying storage issues requiring MISO’s attention. It then forwards its findings to the Steering Committee, which assigns the issues to larger stakeholder committees for decisions. (See MISO Storage Task Force Defines Role, Seeks Plan.)

But the group now wants the authority to evaluate “issues or topics that are unique to the integration or challenge the realization of benefits of energy storage,” according to the revised charter. It would “also provide ongoing subject matter expertise to MISO entities regarding storage-related issues.”

Task force Chair John Fernandes said the initial charter may have been too restrictive.

“That was a very unilateral, one-way mission statement,” Fernandes said. “What we’re saying here is that there’s an opportunity for extended dialogue.”

He said it can sometimes feel as if the group encounters “radio silence” after it identifies an issue taken up by a larger stakeholder committee.

Fernandes said the group will reconvene in September to discuss next steps if the Steering Committee refuses to approve the expanded charter.

Some stakeholders said the revised charter might open the door to two stakeholder groups having the same discussions about energy storage, violating the spirit of MISO’s stakeholder process redesign three years ago that sought to reduce duplicative discussions across different RTO forums. (See MISO Takes Stakeholders’ Temperature on Redesign.)

But Fernandes said there are broad storage subjects that warrant further task force discussions even if a specific issue may have been escalated to another MISO group. He cited hybrid storage facilities as an example, noting the interconnection of such plants is currently under discussion within the RTO, but the general business model requires more evaluation.

Fernandes also questioned the efficiency of stakeholder committees creating new task teams to discuss unique storage attributes when the task force could evaluate them.

He added that the task force plans to continue to stay out of developing commercial business models for storage, as recommended by the Steering Committee.

Energy storage has been taking root across the country, but coastal states, such as California, Massachusetts and Oregon, have taken the lead in implementing related policies. That could change as states such as Colorado and Nevada move closer to potentially ambitious policies to support energy storage.

Rising renewable penetration combined with falling costs for lithium-ion batteries is driving many states to explore policies that encourage energy storage.

New Jersey became the most recent state to adopt an energy storage target when Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in May signed a bill that establishes a 2,000 MW by 2030 target. And in New York, the Public Service Commission is in the process of setting an energy storage target that some observers say could end up as high as 3,000 MW by 2030.

But Arizona could be the next state to adopt an energy storage goal, if Commissioner Andy Tobin has his way.

“Energy storage is high on my list,” Tobin told Utility Dive.

The man with the plan

The Energy Modernization Plan that Tobin released in January includes a recommended target for 3,000 MW of energy storage deployed by 2030. The plan would have the state be powered by 80% clean energy by 2050, from 15% by 2025, and directs the investor owned utilities to build 60 MW of biomass plants for service by 2022.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) “could be voting on the plan by January or February,” Tobin said.

“We thought we had enough votes” to put it on the docket, Tobin said at the commission last month. Instead, the ACC decided to do a study on the financial impact of the plan. That study, being prepared by the state’s Residential Utility Consumer Office, should be ready in about two weeks.

Tobin wants to see the adoption of his plan ahead of the next fire season, as the biomass plant component could burn fuel from Arizona’s forests and lessen the devastation of forest fires.

Tobin is optimistic, noting that some commissioners are already on board.

Renewables are beginning to dominate the energy generation sector, favoured for their low-to-zero carbon emissions and, therefore, the potential to meet climate targets. Though powerful and promising, the unreliable nature of such sources means the industry is increasingly seeking new methods of energy storage.

Currently, lithium-ion batteries are the most popular alternative to traditional lead-acid types, due to their longevity and energy density. However, lithium’s rising costs – going up by 240% in 2017 –  coupled with fears over resource depletion, are prompting developers to look elsewhere for low-carbon battery bases.

While possible alternatives have been sought in water, gold, cobalt and sodium, the latest development has come from German conglomerate Siemens, which launched its ‘green ammonia energy storage demonstrator’ on 26 June at Harwell in Oxfordshire, UK.

The demonstrator uses renewable power to make ammonia, a compound traditionally used to boost crop yields, by combining hydrogen extracted from water and nitrogen from air. The ammonia is stored in a tank and converted back into electricity when needed, either through traditional combustion methods or by ‘cracking’ it into nitrogen and hydrogen. In the latter method, the hydrogen can then be used in hydrogen fuel cells to power devices such as electric vehicles.

Crucially, no carbon emissions are produced during the entire process.

The £1.5m project was developed in conjunction with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the University of Oxford and Cardiff University.

The STFC contributed to the site infrastructure, the wind turbine and expertise in interfacing with its site and systems, while the University of Oxford helped design the ammonia synthesis part of the system. Cardiff University converted a methane-fuelled generator set to run on ammonia.

Siemens programme manager Ian Wilkinson says the company’s interest in ammonia is partially driven by the fact that “it is based on mature technology and is therefore rapidly deployable at sufficient scale to be useful in meaningful decarbonisation”. Having an existing ammonia industry ensures there is infrastructure in place to store, transport and handle the compound safely from the offset.