Project Goal: To investigate the potential for large-scale energy storage in the Massachusetts electrical supply as the penetration of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources increases.
Project Description: Non-dispatchable renewable energy generators, such as wind turbines and solar photovoltaic systems, are being added in increasing numbers to electrical power systems around the world. As the penetration level increases, energy storage becomes of progressively more value. For Massachusetts, the penetration of wind and solar into the electrical system is still small enough that additional energy storage is not yet needed. On the other hand, it is recognized that Massachusetts has access to an enormous offshore wind energy resource. That resource is large enough that wind energy production could result in very high penetration levels. Such penetration levels would be even higher due to contributions from photovoltaic systems. At those levels, energy storage could serve an important role. Specific tasks include:
- Investigating the various types of offshore wind energy storage available and hypothesizing which of them might be most applicable and in what context.
- Investigating the implications of adding large amounts of energy from wind, specifically offshore wind, to the electrical supply.
Project Report: Utility Scale Energy Storage Options with Offshore Wind
Project Paper: A Design and Analysis Tool for Utility Scale Power Systems Incorporating Large Scale Wind, Solar Photovoltaics and Energy Storage