Proposed carbon emission standards could create new opportunities for energy storage

July 21, 2015

The U.S. government has grown increasingly aggressive in curbing carbon emissions as climate change has evolved as a major concern among congressmen and constituents alike. According to The New York Times, President Barack Obama plans to unveil a final set of emission regulations targeting power plants that was proposed by the EPA last year. If the final version of the new rules is identical to the draft from 2014, then carbon emissions at each plant would have to be reduced by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

In addition, the resource noted that the new rules are backed by a study published in environmental science journal Nature Climate Change. Research conducted by Harvard and Syracuse scientists found that curbing emissions from fossil-fueled power plants could also help to prevent over 3,000 pollution-related deaths each year. Passage of the new standards will also make it vital that power grid operators nationwide find alternatives to the most expensive and polluting power plants currently online.

New standards may slow construction of traditional peaking plants
If passed, the new rules will focus primarily on the plants that are currently the largest producers of carbon emissions. In addition to coal power plants, gas- and diesel-burning peaking plants rank among the most expensive to operate and least friendly for the environment.

Peaking power plants are activated only to supplement the base load during the most energy-intensive part of the day or in instances when demand suddenly exceeds expected thresholds, according to KCET public television. As a result, extra resources are consumed to activate these facilities to full power from rest to meet the day's surging peak demand. With this intensive fuel consumption also come subsequent high costs and high volumes of carbon emissions. The construction and operation of peaking plants may see new bumps in the road if carbon emission standards end up tightening later this year.

Energy storage offers a cleaner, cheaper alternative to peakers
Grid operators will have opportunities to adopt energy storage as a solution to dependence on peaking plants to manage peak load demand. Installing energy storage would allow utilities to optimize their existing systems and make the most of existing capacity, according to Greentech Media.

Energy storage enhances the grid's flexibility by providing a means of saving power for later use. This benefit is especially helpful as a supplement to renewable energy installations. Intermittency problems plague renewable energy solutions from solar to wind - energy storage can be used to store surplus generation for use when unfavorable weather conditions threaten a plant's capacity to generate additional electricity. Peaker plant growth would likely stall further if renewable energy generation sped up as result of wider energy storage deployment.

Thermal energy storage applications help to ease peak demand from behind the meter
Utility scale isn't the only opportunity for energy storage to help reduce dependence on peaker plants. For example, thousands of commercial and educational facilities across the country have adopted thermal energy storage solutions like freezing ice overnight to shift the building's energy consumption from peak (during the day) to off-peak times (after sunset).

The cost savings for this approach are significant for the business or organization because electricity costs much less during off-peak hours. At the same time, this shift puts less pressure on the local grid, helping to lessen the need for peaker plants in the first place.