可再生:与电池平衡

When solar or wind do not meet the market's energy needs, we must look to other sources. Today, supply and demand in the energy market are largely balanced by traditional energy sources such as gas, coal, 水电或核电. If the share of renewable energy is to reach 70 per cent in 2040, 正如Statkraft所料, we must find solutions that provide the necessary flexibility without using fossil energy sources. It is tempting to look at batteries, but is this a realistic option?

电池革命

电气化是十大靠谱网赌这个时代的一大趋势. 电动汽车正变得越来越普遍 第一架电动飞机 已经起飞了. Buses, transport lorries and other utility vehicles will also eventually become electric.

An important driving force for this development is battery storage. 锂离子电池是目前最受欢迎的选择, 而且它们正变得越来越便宜和高效. Would using such batteries to also store surplus energy from sun and wind be a good idea?

"Lithium-ion batteries are first and foremost a good solution for short-term balancing in the grid, 从几秒钟到一小时,马蒂亚斯·霍尔岑坎普说, 德国国家银行商业资产管理主管.

"The batteries are able to deliver large amounts of power in a short period of time, and are therefore very effective in dealing with short-term fluctuations in the power supply. Batteries may also be relevant for balancing in the course of a day, 但是他们经常互相竞争, 更便宜的技术.

不适合长期储存

当谈到储存数周或数月的电力时, 霍尔岑坎普认为，目前的电池技术并不合适.

"For example, 如果你储存能量来补偿一周没有阳光的情况, 你需要一个大电池, and it wouldn't be profitable because the battery is rarely used," he says. "Batteries are very expensive and therefore need many operating hours to pay off."

Holzenkamp has recent experience from Statkraft's full-scale battery storage project at the run-of-river power plant in Dörverden, Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2016, three large lithium-ion batteries were installed with a total capacity of three megawatts, 相当于60万块智能手机电池.

"The purpose wasn't to store energy from the adjacent hydropower plant, 而是为电网运营商提供频率支持. The batteries are located here because we have space, expertise and grid access,霍尔岑坎普说.

"The batteries work very well, have very high capacity, and there is almost no decomposition. 从技术上讲，这个系统比预期的要好."

重要的灵活性

Nevertheless, Holzenkamp does not believe there will be a need for additional battery capacity in Europe in the near future. The German energy network is well developed and already provides a high level of flexibility. This means that customers will always receive power from elsewhere, 在当地太阳能或风能不足的情况下.

"In countries with a lot of sun, like India, batteries can be a good solution. There they need the flexibility in the short and medium term to store power for use in the evening and night. The European market primarily needs long-term flexibility over days and weeks, 因此，电池的价值有限,霍尔岑坎普说.

"Not everyone is as lucky as Norway, with its big green batteries in the form of highly 灵活的水电. 在欧洲的大部分地区, we'll be dependent on natural gas for a long time to provide sufficient flexibility. Combining this with the production of hydrogen and methane from solar and wind power – referred to as a power-to-gas solution – will provide power generation that is almost CO₂-free.

未来的本地解决方案

Although battery technology may not be suitable for long-term storage of surplus energy from solar and wind power, improved battery technology is likely to be of major importance for local small-scale solutions.

"In Germany, 以及越来越多的欧洲国家, we see people installing solar cells on the roof at home and adding battery packs to their own power supply system. 这样他们就可以节省一天的能源消耗, which means they don't have to sell excess power cheaply back to the power grid. This also gives private households protection against short-term power outages. Many customers also like the idea of being independent of the big energy companies,霍尔岑坎普说.

He also believes that some companies can take advantage of batteries to reduce energy costs. They can buy electricity at lower prices – at night – and store it for later use. 它们还可以降低用电高峰和电网费用.

“这为客户提供了安全性和可预测性, 因此，这可能是一个明智的解决方案,霍尔岑坎普说.

学到了很多

Holzenkamp believes that the experience gained from the Dörverden battery project is important to Statkraft, 尽管它可能还没有商业价值.

“十大靠谱网赌在电池技术方面学到了很多东西, 局限性和可能性, 利与弊. It's also taught us that the use of such batteries is limited and that much depends on the local market,霍尔岑坎普说.

"Nevertheless, a great deal of research and development is being done on battery technology that will improve energy density, storage, 寿命和效率. The future will give us improvements and surprises, so we must be prepared!"