Implementation of energy storage systems for solar PV ramp stabilization

If solar generators are to be treated as conventional generators, the power output ramps due to cloud movements will entail heavy financial penalties and make solar generation impractical. Therefore, output power smoothing is inescapable for solar PV. This paper investigates the employability of energy storage for the mitigation of output ramping prevalent in solar PV generators. Based on a test plant modeled in Leigh Creek, South Australia with real data, output over a year is examined and storage devices are proposed to alleviate 98.2% of ramps above the permissible ceiling. Our study compares these devices in terms of their economic payback. Sensitivity analysis is performed to visualize the variation of payback with respect to varying input constraints. In addition to the common notion that implementation of energy storage is greatly dependent on the capital expenditure, it is also manifested that the regulatory constraints affect the economic feasibility to a profound extent. Our observation that a Li-ion battery could pay off the investment in just 3.3 years is astounding and at the same time, opens up further research avenues.