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Energy storage needs in the UK and Ireland

There is an emerging challenge that is an outcome of harmonised energy policies in Ireland, and potentially UK and the rest of Europe. The combination of the National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAP’s) demanded by Europe1,2, a Single Electricity Market in Ireland (SEM)3 and the development of a Target Market Model by the European Commission4 requiring greater alignment of electricity market processes between jurisdictions will in the future facilitate the trading of non-dispatchable wind energy which is the likely dominant large scale renewable energy source of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland in the foreseeable future. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in its energy policy to 2050 report5 details the necessary infrastructure requirements to facilitate not only wind energy trading from the western maritime Europe but solar energy from southern Europe and biomass energy from Eastern Europe. In scenarios that detail up to 95% carbon dioxide emission reductions by 2050, transmission infrastructure, system operation and electricity market integration enhancements are illustrated. In addition to the significant costs that counteract the benefits of increased fuel security, the major challenge is that of time. It is predicted that by 2050, there will be sufficient infrastructure to support the fully integrated European electricity markets that allows Ireland and the UK to participate fully in such markets. However the combination of SEM, UK and Ireland NREAPs and the Northern Ireland Strategic Energy Framework6 recognises that UK/Ireland region is likely to be wind led with current wind capacity being 1000MW in Northern Ireland, 2000MW in Ireland and over 8000MW in Great Britain. With the UK as a whole predicting over 55000MW of offshore wind by 20407, coupled with limited interconnection (as predicted by the EWEA) and no advantages in market operation due to the EU Electricity Target Model approach, the 6000MW of wind energy proposed under the All-Island Grid Study8 will need to be stored and utilised on the island of Ireland. A further challenge is that of wind curtailment. A recent NREL study concludes that “Wind curtailment initiatives appear to be increasing, perhaps in part because of the rapid growth of wind power and the lack of development of supporting transmission infrastructure to keep up”9. In Ireland’s Single Electricity Market, scenarios predict up to 16% curtailment with high wind penetration. Wind penetration in Ireland currently is over 40% during holiday times10 and often exceeds 50%11. In Ireland, the curtailment rate has been seen at 63MW in 15 minutes (approx. 12% of capacity at the time), 144MW in 1 hour (29% capacity) and 338MW in 12 h (68% capacity) in order to manage wind generated electricity when electricity demand has been insufficient. Currently there is 2031.25MW of installed wind capacity which may increase to 6500MW by 2020 if the 40% target is to be met12. Recent road maps for smart grid13 and wind14 for Ireland to 2050 illustrate that onshore wind installed capacity could increase to 15,000MW with 30,000MW of offshore wind. Already wind curtailment is an issue in the wind industry15 and presents major barriers and uncertainties for future wind project developments and for Ireland to realise the full benefits of wind energy and targets set out above. Thus greater interconnection, energy storage and demand side management must be incorporated in future energy systems to allow decarbonisation with wind in the first instance to have a chance of being a reality.