Economic analysis of energy storage business models

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources and the electrification of heat and transport sectors in the UK have created business opportunities for flexible technologies, such as battery energy storage (BES). However, BES investments are still not well understood due to a wide range and debatable technology costs that may undermine its business case. In this context, this paper establishes a BES economic analysis to assess the viability of current BES business models, particularly associated with multi-service portfolios. Our analysis quantifies the net present value and payback period of BES investments considering various business models and state-of-the-art BES technologies and determine their commercial viability. Several case studies under current GB market arrangements demonstrate that BES investment associated with multi-service business models offer the best financial benefits to storage investors and achieve payback periods within 10 years' lifetime.