Power Storage: Smoothing Intermittence to Maximize Renewables

As part of the Ifri Energy Program, a seminar with Louis-Marie Jacquelin, ENEA Consulting, Stéphane Biscaglia, Renewable Energy Department, Smart Grid and Storage Engeneer, Ademe . Chaired by: William C. Ramsay, Senior Fellow and Director of the Ifri Energy Program and Jacques Lesourne, Chairman of the Scientific of the Ifri Energy Program.

Power suppliers and utilities have been struggling for years to cope with the caprices of electricity demand. Their scariest nightmare might still be to come as renewable, an intermittent and unpredictable source of power, is booming. The prospects of integrating increasing offshore wind or decentralized photovoltaic production are daunting and costly with prospects for very low capacity to production ratio. Given political decisions in some countries to switch off nuclear power plants following Fukushima, meeting these challenges becomes even more urgent. Europe has already established a 20%renwables target for 2020. This may not be enough. Strategies are being defined to improve power grid capacity, interconnections and responsiveness. This new context demands a more aggressive business case for the development of storage.

There are many storage technologies. They can be mechanical (pumped hydro power, or STEP, compressed air, and flywheels), thermal or chemical (Batteries, Lithium batteries in use for electric vehicle to grid technologies, integrated solar storage, hydrogen storage for use in fuel cells etc.). By storing power in times of low demand or high renewable production, and releasing it when the demand rises again helps smooth intermittence and prices and enhance the safety of supply in a liberalized electricity market. Storage technologies are expensive, and hydropower pumped systems have almost reached their maximum capacity in Europe. This conference will assess alternative solutions, their availability and affordability where Europe stands in the development and deployment of these technologies.