Photovoltaic energy storage system procurement

Can photovoltaic energy storage be combined with energy storage?

The recent rapid growth of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) deployment and the declining costs of energy storage technologies have stimulated interest in combining PV with energy storage to provide dispatchable energy (i.e., energy on demand) and reliable capacity (i.e., grid stability).

Are solar photovoltaic systems a good investment?

For sites with time-of-use (TOU) and/or demand rates, solar PV systems are to be designed to offset the greatest amount of electricity in higher cost-rate periods and achieve the greatest annual dollar savings. Feasibility evaluations to determine the potential size of solar photovoltaic systems have not been completed.

How can battery storage improve solar energy production?

Note rising interest in value streams that are locally realized, e.g., time-shifting to balance rising distributed energy resources (DERs) locally. Battery storage can prevent solar over-production, while facilitating local high-renewables goals. It also may sometimes defer the need for a distribution upgrade (non-wires alternative).

How are PV and storage market prices influenced?

On the other hand, PV and storage market prices are influenced by short-term policy and market drivers that can obscure the underlying technological development that shapes prices over the longer term.

How do energy storage contracts work?

For standalone energy storage contracts, these are typically structured with a fixed monthly capacity payment plus some variable cost per megawatt hour (MWh) of throughput. For a combined renewables-plus-storage project, it may be structured with an energy-only price in lieu of a fixed monthly capacity payment.

How much does a lithium-ion energy storage system cost?

Figure ES-1 shows the modeled costs of standalone lithium-ion energy storage systems with an installed capacity of 60 MW able to provide electricity for several different durations. Assuming a constant per-energy-unit battery price of $209/kWh, the system costs vary from $380/kWh (4- hour duration system) to $895/kWh (0.5-hour duration system).