pwr_december-2023 - 20

HYBRID POWER
Energy Storage, VPPs Accelerate
Growth in Hybrid Power
The need for flexibility, sustainability, reliability, and resiliency in the electricity
sector is bringing varied technologies together in the power generation mix.
Darrell Proctor
H
ybrid power plants are increasingly
part of the power generation
landscape, in large part due
to the inclusion of energy storage at
renewable energy installations, and the
growth in what are known as virtual
power plants (VPPs).
A hybrid plant is a facility incorporating
two or more generation types, such
as solar plus energy storage, or energy
storage at a natural gas-fired power station.
While the definition of a hybrid plant
is simple, deployment of these systems
can be complex. Different technologies
must come together in a cohesive way,
which means technical challenges must
be addressed. Regulatory issues also
can come into play.
The Electricity Markets & Policy group
at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
in California tracks larger hybrid power
plant deployments, generally those with
more than 1 MW of generation capacity,
which excludes many behind-the-meter
or virtual installations. The group in a
September presentation discussed its
most recent data, which showed that
more than 200 solar photovoltaic (PV)
hybrid plants were deployed across
the U.S. at the end of 2022, comprising
about 4 GW of energy storage capacity
and 12.5 GWh of storage energy.
The group said that hybrids represented
37%, or about 500 GW, of generation
capacity in interconnection queues (up
from 31% in 2021), including 48% of all
solar generation capacity.
The Berkeley Lab noted that 2022's
Inflation Reduction Act-which expands
tax credits for energy storage-and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's
Order No. 2023 (issued in July
2023, designed to improve interconnection
procedures and agreements), both
likely will impact deployment of hybrid
plants. The U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), meanwhile, is pushing for more
deployment of VPPs through its Loan
Programs Office.
Dr. Harish Sarma Krishnamoorthy, an
associate professor at the University of
20
1. Hybrid power plants utilize two or more technologies to generate energy, with most incorporating
solar and/or wind power, along with energy storage systems. Source: Shutterstock
Houston in the electrical and computer engineering
department, said utilities should
be promoting the design and development
of hybrid power plants, including VPPs, as
a way to increase power generation without
large infrastructure investments.
" Absolutely, utilities should be at the
forefront of these developments. It will
lead to energy sustainability as well as
affordability in addition to improved resiliency,
lower system losses, and lower
emissions, " Krishnamoorthy told POWER.
" However, it is important for utilities
to work in collaboration with other stakeholders,
such as government agencies,
Energy Storage
As Krishnamoorthy noted, investments
in hybrid plants are seen as a way to
provide more power to the grid without
the need for building new utility-scale facilities,
or for making major investments
in transmission and distribution (T&D)
infrastructure. That includes putting battery
energy storage systems (BESSs) at
existing thermal and renewable power
plants (Figure 1) to increase generation
capacity, using the T&D infrastructure already
in place.
" Our domestic power plants are staring
down at a tsunami of demand from
" Not only does energy storage facilitate our
national clean energy initiative as well as
help decarbonize the grid, but a non-wires
alternative will also be significantly cheaper
for the ratepayer. "
-Eric Cherniss, founder and head of
development for Elevate Renewables
independent power producers, technology
providers, and local communities. A
holistic approach that considers the interests
of all parties is essential for longterm
success. "
www.powermag.com
several channels. Whether it is a result
of population growth, technological advancements,
the electrification of energy,
transportation, climate control, or
behavioral changes, significant transmisPOWER
| December 2023

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