Adaptability Assessment and Optimal Configuration of Vanadium Flow and Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage in Renewable Energy Generation Stations

For power systems with high proportion of renewable energy, renewable energy generation stations need to have better regulation abilities and support for the grid’s frequency and voltage. Renewable energy generation stations need energy storage system (ESS) to help them meet these needs. Vanadium flow batteries and lithium-ion batteries are both electrochemical energy storage technologies that have been commercialized. In this paper, the adaptability index of electrochemical energy storage in renewable energy generation stations is proposed, and the complementarity performance of vanadium flow and lithium batteries is analyzed. In addition, an optimal sizing method with the economic objection is established, and the vanadium flow and lithium battery are co-configured under different expected utilization hours. There is a demand for both power-based and energy-based services in renewable generation, and energy storage technologies with different technical and economic characteristics are needed to obtain benefits in the energy market and ancillary services.