Impacts of energy storage in distributed Power Generation: A review

Distributed Generation (DG) in the form of Renewable Power Generation systems are currently preferred for clean power generation. However due to their intermittent and unpredictable nature, energy storage needs to be used to ensure that the load is met at all times. There are many possible options for energy storage and the most popular and technologically matured option, batteries, is the subject of this paper. This paper explores the importance and necessity of batteries within DG systems, especially with renewable power generation systems. The paper looks at different varieties of batteries with a specific emphasis on lead-acid batteries. To integrate batteries into renewable energy system models, the system and the energy storage, must be simulated to test the impact on as well as optimise the sizing of the system in terms of cost and efficiency. As batteries are a fairly large capital investment in the system, it is crucial to ensure maximum life span. This is done by using a controller to control the charging and discharging cycles of the battery. There are currently many methods of modelling batteries as well as techniques for controlling the battery within the system. Some of these are discussed in this paper.