Are lifepo4 batteries worth it?According to the Integrated System Plan released last year by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), various long-term applications of the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) were modeled. The study found that by 2040, it is necessary to deploy at least 26GW of renewable lithium 10 kwh lifepo4 battery power generation facilities to replace 63% of the coal-fired power generation capacity managed and operated by the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM), and perhaps 50GW of renewable energy power generation facilities to achieve a more ambitious goal.
This will require deployment of about 6GW to 19GW of schedulable energy with an installed capacity to balance the grid. AEMO said that these schedulable energies include pumped storage, large lithium home battery energy storage systems, distributed energy storage systems and virtual power plants. In the short term, a more significant change in the service area of the National Electricity Market (NEM) in Australia is that its electricity market has shifted from a half hour settlement period to a five minute settlement period - which brings risks to the competitiveness of natural gas power plant operators.
It is found that the total capacity leveling cost (including capital cost, fixed operation and maintenance costs and various operation and maintenance costs) of a 48v powerwall lifepo4 solar lithium battery energy storage system with a continuous discharge time of 2 hours is about A $119/kW/year, and the total capacity leveling cost of a 4-hour home battery energy storage system is about A $197/kW/year, The total capacity levelized cost of an open cycle gas turbine power plant with the same installed capacity is about AUD 203/kW/year. At the same time, based on the levelized energy cost (LCOE), the 2-hour battery energy storage system is AUD195/kW/year, the 4-hour battery energy storage system is AUD156/kW/year, and the open cycle gas turbine power plant is AUD234/kW/year.
Are lifepo4 batteries worth it?Among the applications in other countries and regions, as early as 2019, Tom Buttgenbach, CEO of 8minute Solar Energy, a a solar energy lifepo4 battery manufacturer, said in an interview with the media that the company was able to operate solar+energy storage and peak shaving facilities at half the cost of natural gas peak power plants operating in major markets in the United States. A recent study found that by 2030, New York City can economically and efficiently phase out the peak power plants with an installed capacity of 6GW based on the development of renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage systems. Similarly, according to the survey report released last year by Bloomberg, an analysis and research institution, the new battery energy storage system may be more cost competitive in replacing natural gas peak power plants. According to its report, the levelized energy cost (LCOE) of a lithium battery energy storage project with a duration of 4 hours is 150 USD/Wh. Once the peak time of power demand is far more than 4 hours, the natural gas peak power plants will still have greater competitiveness in terms of cost.
However, this situation is changing as the cost of renewable energy and energy storage decreases. The Clean Energy Commission of Australia (CEC) pointed out that, at least in Australia, the use of 4-hour lithium battery energy storage system can basically meet the peak demand, while in the future, the energy storage system with a longer duration of discharge can meet the more rare and longer peak demand, and make up for the shortage of renewable energy generation.