Energy storage needed to help integrate renewables into EV charging stations
As electric vehicle (EV) charging deployment ramps up and speeds continue to increase, energy storage to support this could reach a global installed capacity of 1,900MW by the end of 2029.
This is according to a new report from Guidehouse Insights exploring energy storage for EVs across five global regions and providing forecasts through 2029.
As Maria Chavez, research analyst with Guidehouse Insights, explained: “Energy storage not only aids in peak shaving to make EV charging solutions more cost effective, but also is needed to support integration of renewable energy resources (e.g. solar PV) into EV charging stations”.
This is something currently being deployed by GRIDSERVE as part of its Electric Forecourts, with battery storage and EV charging technologies combined with solar, a feature the company lauded as it allows it to provide EV charging at competitive prices.
Energy storage is also increasingly being examined as a solution for deploying EV charging in areas where the grid is constrained or where a high number of rapid – 50kW or above – chargers are to be deployed. Typically, in these circumstances a costly grid upgrade would be in order, but installing stationary storage for these sites can remove the need for this.
As Guidehouse explains, in order to accelerate growth in the EV market, charging networks “must provide faster charging” without incurring the costs of infrastructure upgrades or high demand charges.
“A battery storage system can feed from the grid during low demand and release power to charge an EV during peak demand time,” Chavez said.
Its research found that the total compound annual growth rate across all segments for stationary energy storage for EVs (ESEV) is expected to be 28% by 2029. Regionally, Europe, North America and Asia Pacific are set to maintain a large majority of the total storage capacity, which Guidehouse said was due to the high regional EV installation and charging infrastructure adoption rates.
In the UK, stationary storage is already being deployed alongside EV charging by a number of companies, including Pivot Power, which was acquired by French utility EDF last year.
The EV and storage firm has combined the two technologies at a number of sites, but its most recent is the Oxford Energy Superhub project. This has seen a hybrid 50MW lithium-ion and 2MW vanadium redox flow energy storage system developed by Pivot and Invinity with plans for EV chargers, including 20 rapids between 50kW and 150kW and 30 fast chargepoints (7kW+).
Pivot Power is not the only one to be deploying this in the UK, however. The likes of Zenobe are also providing storage for EV charging, with the company having launched a scheme last year to support the electrification of buses through offering funding for the installation of EV chargers and stationary storage at depots where needed.
Guidehouse’s report does, however, also explore the barriers to deploying stationary storage at EV charging sites, with Guidehouse finding that whilst peak shaving and higher charging capabilities remain the two leading drivers for the ESEV market, the current high costs of battery storage and some negative environmental impacts pose challenges to wider market adoption.
It suggested solutions such as second-life battery applications that could bridge the gap to provide more sustainable options in the ESEV market.
Second life battery solutions are being trialed and deployed by a number of companies in several countries, including an energy storage system using Renault batteries in Belgium for multinational materials technology company Umicore.
In the UK, a second life battery storage system is to be provided by Connected Energy for Suffolk County Council to help create a low carbon system that would include solar PV and EV charging.
Source : current-news
