Techno-economic analysis of several energy storage options for off-grid renewable energy systems

Abstract

The increase in the production of energy through renewable energies and the reduced predictability of meteorological variables leads to consider reliable energy storage systems to ensure the constant supply of energy and the stabilization of the network. This paper studies four commercial energy storage systems for energy supply to an island by using photovoltaic panels and hydrokinetic turbine as primary energy sources. The technical characteristics of the energy storage systems are compared with respect to capacity shortage, autonomy storage and expected life storage, and the economic analysis is carried out. The system with li-ion batteries has 15 year expect life storage, the fuel cell based system has the highest storage autonomy 253 hr, and the pump hydro storage system has the lowest levelized cost of energy 0.178 $/kWh with 7 year expect life storage.