The expansion of renewable energy (RE) is a crucial component of the energy transition in Germany. According to the Federal Government's energy concept, renewable energy should account for 80 percent of electricity supply by the year 2050. The system integration of renewable energy sources, however, requires a high degree of flexibility. Serving as stepping stones for the implementation of the goals are innovative storage technologies which equalise the feeding-in of electricity from wind energy and photovoltaic systems, thereby making the fluctuating energy from sources such as wind and solar available at all times.

dena study investigates potential of battery storage

dena has launched a study on the topic of battery storage under the title of "Optimised use of battery storage for grid and market applications in power supply" (or dena Grid Flex Study for short).  This study investigates how storage facilities can contribute to increasing the flexibility of the electricity grid. One central aim of the dena Grid Flex Study is to find operational models which increase the economic potential of the storage facilities, while at the same time relieving the strain on the electricity grid.

This is all the more important because the use of energy storage facilities alone is generally not profitable. A purely market-oriented operation of storage facilities can increase the load on electricity grids as well as the need for expansion. The dena Grid Flex Study, which is being carried out in collaboration with major players from the energy industry, uses this issue as a starting point. Participants include grid operators, energy suppliers, system manufacturers, and providers of storage solutions. The results are expected in early 2017.