The Value of Concentrating Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage

Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul

doi:10.1109/tste.2010.2052078

Cited by 260 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This results in extremely low ancillary service prices and virtually eliminates the opportunity for CSP plants to provide ancillary services and reduce overall system production costs. 38 Previous analysis demonstrated significant revenue opportunities for CSP in reserve markets (Sioshansi and Denholm 2010). However, this previous analysis did not consider the cost of providing reserves from CSP, and as a "price-taker" simulation it did not perform a system-wide co-optimization of energy and ancillary services, potentially overstating the dispatch of CSP in providing ancillary services.…”

Section: Study Limitations and Future Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, there have been studies that focused on the value of CSP with TES but were limited in modeling resolution. An example is a study that used a "price-taker" approach to dispatch a CSP plant against historic prices, assuming these prices (and solar availability) are known with varying degrees of certainty (Sioshansi and Denholm 2010). This type of study can identify some of the additional value that TES adds in terms of energy shifting and ancillary services; however, the value of this analysis is limited because it cannot examine the impact of different fuel prices, grid mixes, or the ability of CSP to interact with variable renewable sources, such as wind and PV.…”

Section: Production Cost Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulating the Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a Production Cost Model

Denholm¹,

Hummon²

2012

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Executive SummaryConcentrating solar power (CSP) deployed with thermal energy storage (TES) provides a dispatchable source of renewable energy. The value of CSP with TES, as with other potential generation resources, needs to be established using traditional utility planning tools. Production cost models, which simulate the operation of grid, are often used to estimate the operational value of different generation mixes. CSP with TES has historically had limited analysis in commercial production simulations. This document describes the implementation of CSP with TES in a commercial production cost model. It also describes the simulation of grid operations with CSP in a test system consisting of two balancing areas located primarily in Colorado.CSP was implemented in the PLEXOS model, which is a security-constrained unit commitment and dispatch model. CSP both with and without storage was implemented and compared to solar photovoltaics (PV) and to a "flat block" resource equivalent to a baseload generator with zero fuel costs. The CSP plant with storage was modeled as a trough-type plant with a solar multiple of 2.0 and 6 hours of storage. The test system consisted of two balancing areas located in Colorado and Wyoming-Public Service of Colorado (PSCO) and Western Area Colorado Missouri (WACM), simulated using publicly available data. The generation characteristics and fuel prices were based on a 2020 scenario and included two renewable energy cases-a low RE scenario where wind and solar provide 13% of the annual generation and a high RE scenario where wind and solar provide 34% of generation, including 8% from PV.In each scenario, a small amount of a new generator type (CSP, PV, or flat block resource) was added to determine its value to the system. The operational value of the different generation sources is based on which power plant types they displace as calculated by the least-cost dispatch within the model. In the low RE case, gas-fired generators are on the margin most of the time, so all generators displace mostly gas. However, the dispatchability of CSP allows it to time its output to periods when the most expensive gas units are on the margin.Figure ES-1 shows how CSP with TES dispatches energy during periods of highest price, compared to a CSP plant without storage. During this 3-day period in January, CSP produces energy during periods of peak demand in the morning and evening, both periods without significant solar availability.v CSP with TES displaces more fuel and higher-cost fuel than the flat block or solar generation without storage. Table ES-1 shows the avoided fuel per unit of generation (MMBTU/MWh). It also shows the impact of the high RE case, where much of the gas is displaced and coal is the marginal generator for many hours of the year. Generators without storage increasingly displace lower value coal generation, and curtailment of variable generation sources begins to occur due to system flexibility constraints. CSP with TES continues to displace mostly gas generation due to its dispatc...

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Section: Study Limitations and Future Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Production Cost Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating the Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a Production Cost Model

Denholm¹,

Hummon²

2012

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“…Both plants assume parabolic trough technology with wet cooling and molten salt storage. Because CSP technologies include thermal storage, it is assumed that they do not impose short-term impacts on system reliability [20], but rather their impact results from long-term seasonal variation in generation. In contrast, utility-scale solar PV and wind turbines suffer from intermittent and unreliable generation and thus impose much more significant challenges for the electricity system.…”

Section: Enhancing the Representation Of Vre In Messagementioning

confidence: 99%

A reduced-form approach for representing the impacts of wind and solar PV deployment on the structure and operation of the electricity system

et al. 2017

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In many climate change mitigation scenarios, integrated assessment models of the energy and climate systems rely heavily on renewable energy technologies with variable and uncertain generation, such as wind and solar PV, to achieve substantial decarbonization of the electricity sector. However, these models often include very little temporal resolution and thus have difficulty in representing the integration costs that arise from mismatches between electricity supply and demand. The global integrated assessment model, MESSAGE, has been updated to explicitly model the trade-offs between variable renewable energy (VRE) deployment and its impacts on the electricity system, including the implications for electricity curtailment, backup capacity, and system flexibility. These impacts have been parameterized using a reduced-form approach, which allows VRE integration impacts to be quantified on a regional basis. In addition, thermoelectric technologies were updated to include two modes of operation, baseload and flexible, to better account for the cost, efficiency, and availability penalties associated with flexible operation. In this paper, the modeling approach used in MESSAGE is explained and the implications for VRE deployment in mitigation scenarios are assessed. Three important stylized facts associated with integrating high VRE shares are successfully reproduced by our modeling approach: (1) the significant reduction in the utilization of non-VRE power plants; (2) the diminishing role for traditional baseload generators, such as nuclear and coal, and the transition to more flexible technologies; and (3) the importance of electricity storage and hydrogen electrolysis in facilitating the deployment of VRE.

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“…The model considers startup losses in the dispatch decision by assuming that a certain amount of energy is lost in the startup process. In this case, we used start-up losses equal to 20 MWh per 100 MW of plant capacity (20% of the energy required to run the plant at rated output for 1 hour) (Sioshansi and Denholm 2010). No additional start-up costs were attributed to the CSP plant.…”

Section: Implementation Of Csp Plants In Plexosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario

Denholm¹,

Wan²,

Hummon³

et al. 2013

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NOTICEThis report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Executive SummaryConcentrating solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage (TES) is a dispatchable source of renewable electricity generation. However, the dispatchability of this resource is limited by the availability of solar energy. This makes it challenging to quantify the value of CSP and provide comparisons to alternative generation sources.The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has prepared a number of analyses of the grid operational challenges associated with the state's 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS). These analyses, which used a commercial production cost model, created a publically available database of the CAISO system. This database can be used as a basis for analyzing the potential value of CSP with TES in California.This analysis used the "Environmentally Constrained" 33% RPS scenario database in the PLEXOS grid simulation tool to estimate the value of CSP in avoiding conventional fossil generation, and compared this value to other sources of generation. To perform this analysis, we created a baseline scenario and added four types of generators, each in a separate scenario. The four generator types were photovoltaic (PV), a baseload generator with constant output, a CSP plant providing dispatchable energy, and a CSP plant providing both energy and operating reserves. Each generator added the same amount of energy (about 1% of annual demand) for an equal comparison of their value. In each case, we calculated the difference in production costs between the base case and the case with the added generator. This difference in cost was attributed to the added generator as its operational value to the system. PLEXOS dispatches the hourly energy inflow of solar energy in the CSP plant to minimize the overall system production cost. The model considers the interaction of the California system with the rest of the Western Interconnection, and new generators within California can therefore affect the dispatch of coal, gas, and other generators throughout the West.The operational value of each generator is associated with avoided fuel (and associated emissions) as well as reduced operations and maintenance (O&M) and power ...

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The Value of Concentrating Solar Power and Thermal Energy Storage

Cited by 260 publications

References 21 publications

Simulating the Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a Production Cost Model

Simulating the Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a Production Cost Model

A reduced-form approach for representing the impacts of wind and solar PV deployment on the structure and operation of the electricity system

Analysis of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy Storage in a California 33% Renewable Scenario

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