Energy Storage for Relief of Transmission Congestion

Recent investigations by EPRI have focused on the application of existing technologies to reduce power system carbon footprint. Research examined the technical feasibility and potential benefits of energy storage to increase transmission capability of congested transmission networks that serve regions of the country having large renewable generation assets. The use of storage to relieve thermal constraints has not yet been explored or validated in depth. This paper summarizes the results of this research. These include a brief overview of different applications of storage, and a survey of past work by EPRI and others that investigated the application of energy storage on the transmission system. An in-depth description on the potential use of batteries storage to increase transmission capability in thermal-limited transmission paths is presented. A case study on a generic power system model illustrates the concept, with an economic analysis on benefits and costs. Conclusions and future steps are given.