Renewable, Flexible, and Storage Capacities: Friends or Foes?

A substantial share of the new power generation capacity installed worldwide will be based on renewable and flexible generation. Additionally, large-scale energy storage systems are planned to support power systems. It is paramount for policymakers and electric utilities to deepen the understanding of the operational and investment relations among renewable, flexible, and storage capacities. We optimize both the joint operations and investment mix of these three types of resources, examining whether they act as investment substitutes or complements. Using stochastic control theory, we identify and prove the structure of the optimal storage control policy, from which we determine various pairs of charging and discharging operations. We find that whether storage complements or substitutes other resources hinges on the operational pairs involved and whether executing these pairs is constrained by charging or discharging. Through extensive numerical analysis using data from a Florida utility, government agencies, and industry reports, we demonstrate how storage operations drive the investment relations among renewable, flexible, and storage capacities. Storage and renewables substitute each other in meeting peak demand; storage complements renewables by storing surplus renewable output; renewables complement storage by compressing peak periods, facilitating peak shaving and displacement of flexible capacity. These substitution and complementary effects often coexist, and the dominant effect can alternate as costs change. A thorough understanding of these relations at both operational and investment levels empowers decision makers to optimize energy infrastructure investments and operations, thereby unlocking their full potential.

This seminar will take place in person in the Mandeville Building, room T09-67. Alternatively, click here to join the seminar online.