That the future of the planet’s energy depends on the development of renewable sources is something that almost no one disputes anymore. Electricity from solar and wind origin has increasing weight in the mix energy, so the possibility of saving it to be able to resort to it when necessary is essential. For three years, Spain has had an Energy Storage Strategy designed to support the deployment of these clean technologies.
The idea is that the country will have 22 gigawatts (GW) in 2030, and reach 30 GW in 2050. To move towards this goal, the development of Battery Energy Storage Systems (SAEB) is essential. These series-mounted containers accumulate electricity on a large scale when it is cheapest or abundant, and release it when it is most expensive. They are installations that allow the fluid to be supplied at the peaks of greatest demand, so energy surpluses can be better managed.
The advances in this area are unstoppable. Recently, the Chinese manufacturer CATL has presented the first series storage battery with zero degradation in the first five years of use. This means higher performance, which extends the life of the device and its profitability. In addition, it can retain up to ten times more energy – 6.25 megawatt hours (MWh) – in half the size, with lithium-ion chemistry, even cheaper without cobalt or nickel. In recent months, other manufacturers, such as Panasonic, have launched similar announcements, and experts agree that new progress will be made known very soon. For example, batteries that replace lithium with sodium, a very abundant and much cheaper mineral, have already begun to be developed, opening up a field of enormous possibilities.
giant step
Stationary batteries represent a giant step for the storage of renewable energy, until now one of the Achilles heels of the sector. “They will allow us to distribute solar generation, which for obvious reasons is only produced when there is sun, 24 hours a day. Photovoltaics are the cheapest way to generate energy that we have ever had, that is why it is essential to be able to store it,” says the general director of the Valencian Association of Companies in the Energy Sector (Avaesen), Pedro Fresco.
In addition to the storage itself, these accumulators offer network services and stand out for their flexibility, since they can inject the power and capacity required into the network in a very short time. “In California they have already offered more than 6,000 megawatts (MW) at the peak of the night, which is the equivalent power of six nuclear power plants,” Fresco recalls. Last year, more than 40 GW of storage in this type of battery was installed around the world, although in Spain they are hardly used on a large scale. “Yes, there are many projects, but they have not gone any further at the moment because we are waiting for the capacity mechanisms to be approved, which will offer more certainty to these investments,” this expert acknowledges.
Although progress is still being made at a slow pace, at least here, the director of the Spanish Energy Storage Association (Asealen), Raúl García, believes that “there are many reasons to be optimistic.” And he lists some of them, such as technological evolution, the reduction of prices, the modification of the internal electricity market – which creates specific instruments to support flexibility for non-fossil energy – and the change in the Economic Regime for Renewable Energy. However, for García the main challenge is adapting the regulatory framework.
Francisco de Castro, head of Storage and New Technologies at Statkraft in Spain, agrees with him. “It is true that regulatory changes have facilitated the development of storage projects, but at the same time they have generated a certain rejection due to uncertainty,” he believes. The figures show that in our country there is still a long way to go. Currently there are around 6 GW of reversible pumping and 20 MW of batteries installed. And it is estimated that there may be around 4 GW with grid access permission (including reversible pumping, accumulators and solar thermal) in projects that are still in the pipeline.
De Castro considers that these numbers are “insufficient to integrate the future renewable deployment in Spain.” But the situation is reversible, says this engineer, if a series of measures are taken that include public aid that favors and encourages the development of future projects, a clear and defined regulation that facilitates access and connection to the network, and the design of specific applicable regulations for this technology, among others.
The head of Storage at Rolls-Royce Solutions Ibérica, Jorge Barcelona, insists on another idea. By itself, storage is not an end, but a tool to obtain clean, cheap and safe energy, which must serve to make the economy more competitive. The goal, he says, is to stimulate the electricity market. “If demand is electrified, the deployment of renewable hydrogen is promoted and a policy to promote and attract industrial investment is implemented, it will be achieved. Spain has unbeatable conditions to do so,” he emphasizes.
Prices in free fall
The truth is that these batteries are becoming cheaper. In the last two years, the reduction in the cost in euros per kilowatt hour (kWh) has exceeded 30%. And everything indicates that this trend will continue in the future. If their price continues to fall, it is likely that they will end up being installed en masse next to any renewable park. Therefore, the role of public administrations is essential. If they manage to expedite the procedures and manage to authorize these facilities in a short time, the deployment could exceed even the most optimistic forecasts. If this does not happen, pumped hydroelectric storage would have to be resorted to, which requires longer and more expensive civil works.
