Large-scale renewable energy integration: tackling technical obstacles and exploring energy storage innovations

The use of renewable energy sources (RESs) to counter the fast depletion of fossil fuels and to address the negative impact that fossil fuels are having on the environment is growing globally. The incorporation of large-scale intermittent RESs such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power systems poses technical problems for power supply reliability and quality. This paper aims to explore some of these technical challenges associated with RESs through an evaluation of energy storage system's (ESS) technical, economical and environmental performance. Different kinds of energy storage systems such as mechanical ESS, electrochemical ESS, electrical ESS, thermal ESS and chemical ESS will be discussed and evaluated on their pros and cons. Furthermore, the present status and applicability of ESSs will be discussed, in relation to the improvement of grid flexibility and increased adoption of RESs. The results demonstrate that although each of the different types of ESSs offers a unique advantage, there is still not one technology that could address all the technical problems associated with the power grid. Hence, hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs), which involve more than one type of energy storage, will be highlighted in this paper.