Evaluation of a 1 MW, 250 kW-hr Battery Energy Storage System for Grid Services for the Island of Hawaii

Abstract

Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are being deployed on electrical grids in significant numbers to provide fast-response services. These systems are normally procured by the end user, such as a utility grid owner or independent power producer. This paper introduces a novel research project in which a research institution has purchased a 1 MW BESS and turned ownership over to a utility company under an agreement that allowed the institution to perform experimentation and data collection on the grid for a multi-year period. This arrangement, along with protocols governing experimentation, has created a unique research opportunity to actively and systematically test the impact of a BESS on a live island grid. The 2012 installation and commissioning of the BESS was facilitated by a partnership between the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) and the utility owner, the Hawaiian Electric and Light Company (HELCO). After the test period ended, HELCO continued to allow data collection (including health testing). In 2018, after 8500 equivalent cycles, the BESS continues to operate within specifications. HNEI continues to provide HELCO with expertise to aid with diagnostics as needed. Details about the BESS design, installation, experimental protocols, initial results, and lessons learned are presented in this paper.

Characterization of a Fast Battery Energy Storage System for Primary Frequency Response

“…The BESS consists of a power module (a 20,411 kg, 53 ft container housing battery stack) and an inverter (an 8165 kg, 10 ft container). A full description of the BESS is provided in a companion paper [24]. The test site is the electrical grid for the entire island of Hawaii, which has a peak load of about 180 MW and it is currently under penetration by about 32 MW of wind generation.…”

Impacts of Responsive Loads and Energy Storage System on Frequency Response of a Multi-Machine Power System

“…ESS makes an optimal fit to accommodate intermittent renewable energy resources in smart grids and can provide virtual inertia (VI) to overcome the low-inertia problem associated with renewable energy systems [13]. The literature shows the application of VI for frequency regulation services and it is expected that role of ESS will increase in future for power system's stability [14,15]. A control scheme is proposed in Reference [16] to suppress the deviation in system's voltage and frequency using VI.…”

Data-Driven Mitigation of Energy Scheduling Inaccuracy in Renewable-Penetrated Grids: Summerside Electric Use Case

“…In view of these challenges, numerous techniques have been proposed in the literature to alleviate the impact of high RES penetration. These include methods pertaining to enhancing the prediction accuracy of RES [6][7][8] and techniques pertaining to the use of energy storage systems (ESS) [9,10], in particular battery energy storage systems (BESS) [11].…”

“…ESS have two main applications in renewable-penetrated grids and microgrids: (i) to enhance system dynamic performance [11,23]; and (ii) to shift the RES output to reduce energy cost and emissions [24]. The latter application is the focus of this paper.…”

“…Equations (9) and (10) model the BESS energy and SOH evolution, respectively. Finally, Equation (11) constrains the BESS energy between 10% of its nominal capacity and 90% of its nominal capacity multiplied by SOH.…”