What is energy storage technology?

Energy storage (ES) technology can charge during low demand periods and discharge during high demand periods to reduce peak electricity generation and therefore curtail new gas-peaking turbines and transmission equipment.

Does energy storage deliver value to utility customers?

Energy storage (ES) can deliver value to utility customers by leveling building demand and reducing demand charges. With increasing distributed energy generation and greater building demand variability, utilities have raised demand charges and are even including them in residential electricity bills.

Are ATES systems a trade-off between private and public interests?

Discussion and conclusions Current methods for the planning and operation of ATES systems lead to an inefficient trade-off between private and public interests, by limiting the deployment of the technology – and thus energy savings – in the dense urban areas which account for a growing portion of energy use in the built environment.

Can energy storage technologies reduce demand charges?

Demand charges are based on peak power, not energy, and therefore energy storage technologies have unique value potential for demand charge reduction since energy storage capital costs are a stronger function of energy stored than power delivered.

What is energy storage & ancillary services?

Energy storage installations provide value for the utility in price arbitrage and ancillary services. Price arbitrage is buying electricity when it is inexpensive, usually during the night, to charge storage systems and then discharge the device to sell electricity when it is more expensive.

What is aquifer thermal energy storage?

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is a building technology used to seasonally store thermal energy in the subsurface, which can reduce the energy use of larger buildings by more than half. The spatial layout of ATES systems is a key aspect for the technology, as thermal interactions between neighboring systems can degrade system performance.