Hybrid Energy Storage Systems Get the Best of Both Worlds
Summary
Many years ago, I was part of a U.S. Air Force program with the goal of reducing the battery weight carried by airmen and soldiers by 25 percent. The hypothesis is that the total energy throughput of the battery is much reduced and the typical thermal stresses caused by high discharge rate responses are mitigated by integrating ultracapacitors. Storage developers need this insight to combine the lowest-cost LCOS technology with the lowest-cost LCOP to optimize systems to provide both sprinter and marathon services. For example, a hybrid system could provide frequency regulation and PV self-consumption functions simultaneously and continuously instead of consecutively per the RMI analysis. Given the tremendous growth and interest in exploring stationary energy storage solutions, expect more HESS projects to be announced over the next 12 months.