Jülich Study Shows Positive Life Cycle Assessment for Large-Scale Battery Storage
The application of stationary large-scale battery storage is becoming increasingly important.
This type of battery storage could stabilize the electricity grid quickly and precisely. According to a study by Jülich scientists from the Institute of Energy and Climate Research and the Berlin battery storage experts Younicos, this form of storage also has ecological advantages compared to hard-coal-fired power plants. The researchers will present their investigation on Tuesday as part of the 9th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES 2015) in Düsseldorf.
Executive Summary
This paper investigates environmental impacts of primary control provision by large‐scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and coal power plants (CPPs). Results indicate that most environmental impacts of BESSs are caused by the construction. The usage of materials like nickel or copper in the BESS construction has noticeable environmental effects. Due to possibilities of material reductions or replacements there will probably be further environmental improvements of BESSs. As main outcome the systems comparison illustrates a better environmental performance of BESSs especially in cases where BESSs contribute to a significant reduction of fossil must‐run capacities.
