Grid Battery Storage Lab: Peak Shaving, Frequency…

What Grid Battery Storage Lab Is

The Grid Battery Storage Lab simulates a large-scale grid battery system designed to manage energy demand and supply. This lab showcases how batteries can be used for peak shaving, frequency regulation, and price arbitrage through dynamic programming.

By integrating real-world data such as daily load patterns, solar, and wind generation, the simulation demonstrates the 'duck curve' phenomenon, where renewable energy sources create a unique pattern in electricity demand.

Peak Shaving

Peak shaving involves using batteries to store excess energy during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper and then discharging them during peak hours when demand (and thus prices) are higher.

This process helps utilities manage the variability of renewable energy sources, ensuring a stable supply while reducing costs.

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Frequency Regulation

Grid batteries can provide fast frequency response by quickly adjusting their output to stabilize grid frequency after a generator trip. This is achieved using the swing equation with governor droop and monitoring RoCoF (rate of change of frequency) and nadir.

By simulating these processes, the lab demonstrates how batteries can help maintain grid stability in real-time.

The Duck Curve

The duck curve represents the shape of a graph showing solar generation versus net load on an electricity grid. It illustrates the challenge of managing excess renewable energy during peak hours and the need for storage solutions.

In this simulation, you can observe how batteries help flatten the 'duck' by storing excess energy generated during sunny periods and discharging it when needed.

Frequently asked questions

How does grid battery storage contribute to reducing electricity costs?

Grid batteries allow utilities to store cheaper off-peak electricity for use during peak hours, thereby reducing the need to purchase expensive energy from the spot market and lowering overall costs.

What is RoCoF in the context of frequency regulation?

RoCoF stands for rate of change of frequency. It measures how quickly grid frequency changes, which batteries monitor to respond effectively during frequency disturbances.

How does peak shaving benefit renewable energy sources?

Peak shaving helps integrate more renewable energy into the grid by storing excess generation during sunny or windy periods and discharging it when demand is high, thus smoothing out the supply of renewable energy.

Why is frequency regulation important for a stable power grid?

Frequency regulation ensures that the electrical system operates at a consistent 60 Hz in the U.S. or 50 Hz internationally, which is crucial for the safe and efficient operation of all connected devices.

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open Grid Battery Storage Lab: Peak Shaving, Frequency Regulation and the Duck Curve and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.

▶ Open Grid Battery Storage Lab: Peak Shaving, Frequency Regulation and the Duck Curve simulation