Selecting an optimal combination of storage & transmission assets with a non-dispatchable electricity supply

Abstract

The majority of renewable energy sources are non-dispatchable, meaning that it is not possible to control when and how much power they produce. For non-dispatchable renewable energy sources to meet a greater proportion of global electricity demand, the industry must develop and implement strategies that directly address the intermittency challenge. This paper considers electrical storage and transmission assets as alternative means of matching non-dispatchable generation with non-deferrable demand. It seeks an optimal combination of storage and transmission assets for a simplified representation of Australian population centres, assuming that demand is met entirely with solar PV generation. This problem is solved using a Mixed Integer Linear Program. Under the baseline assumptions it is found that the optimal (lowest cost) solution has significant quantities of storage in all load centres, as well as transmission assets installed over large distances. The storage selected was 10-15% Li-ion batteries by energy; with the remainder being pumped hydro storage.