Will home energy storage reduce renewable energy outages? PSE sets one key condition - GLOBENERGIA

PSE estimate that the capacity of household energy storage systems could exceed 3.2 GW by 2036. Such a scale could help reduce the forced curtailment of renewable energy sources, but only if the batteries respond to system needs. What does this mean in practice for prosumers?

Michał Jakubiec

Will home energy storage help reduce renewable energy curtailment? PSE sets one key condition

On sunny days, when Polish photovoltaics generate massive amounts of energy, the power system operator sometimes has to mandate curtailment of renewable power plants. A portion of the available electricity then remains unused. Energy storage solutions, including those installed in prosumer households, could offer a remedy. We asked Polish Power Grids (PSE) whether the development of home batteries would indeed help reduce such situations. The operator points to enormous potential but highlights one crucial condition.

Over 3.2 GW in residential energy storage

Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) assume that in the coming years, household energy storage systems will become a noticeable component of the national power system.

"In the draft of the Transmission Grid Development Plan through 2036, PSE forecasts that within the plan's horizon, the capacity of household energy storage systems will exceed 3.2 GW," the operator stated in a response to GLOBENERGIA.

This represents a massive scale. A single prosumer storage unit typically has a capacity measured in kilowatts, but thousands of such devices can collectively create a resource with a capacity comparable to that of large power plants. It is important to note, however, that PSE's forecast pertains to the power capacity of the storage systems, while their ability to deliver energy over extended periods also depends on their energy capacity.

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According to PSE, properly controlled household energy storage systems, alongside large-scale storage and other flexibility services, can “contribute to reducing the scale of non-market redispatch.”

This technical term refers, among other things, to instructions issued by the system operator to limit renewable energy generation in order to maintain the safe operation of the power system. Such situations occur particularly when solar and wind power generation is very high relative to demand.

If household batteries absorb and store energy during these hours for later use, they will help manage part of the surplus. At a sufficiently large scale, this could reduce the need to curtail the operation of renewable energy installations.

PSE outline a condition. Energy storage systems must respond to prices

The most critical aspect of the operator’s response concerns the method of controlling the devices. “However, the condition is that they operate in accordance with the system’s needs, which is precisely represented through prices,” PSE emphasize.

The mechanism is straightforward. When a large amount of cheap energy appears on the market, the storage unit should charge. As prices rise alongside demand, it becomes more beneficial for the system to limit power drawn from the grid or to feed back previously stored energy.

If a battery charges during hours of high demand, it may further burden the system. Therefore, dynamic tariffs, energy management systems (EMS), and automation that allow device operation to be adjusted to price signals become significant. In the future, aggregators coordinating the operation of numerous distributed storage units may also play an important role.

Grants are building energy storage facilities. What will determine their utilization?

NFOŚiGW has just launched the next phase of the Home Energy Storage Program, allocating one billion zloty to it. One of the requirements is equipping the storage system with an EMS that enables intelligent management of energy flows within the home.

However, the mere presence of such a system does not automatically trigger a response to conditions across the national grid. Appropriate settings, access to market signals, and solutions that incentivize prosumers to utilize energy during hours favorable to the KSE are required.

The PSE response thus indicates that the significance of home energy storage will grow with their number and control capabilities. With forecasted capacity exceeding 3.2 GW, the operational mode of home batteries could genuinely impact the balancing of the Polish system and the reduction of forced renewable energy curtailments.

Original analysis based on the response provided by PSE and other information made available by PSE.

Michał Jakubiec

Home energy storage systems to reduce renewable energy outages? PSE sets one important condition - GLOBENERGIA

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