On June 11th, 2025, PPRE-alumnus Christian van Someren from Canada (PPRE 2012-14) will be defending his PhD on the topic of ‚A Method for Battery Energy Storage Evaluation a the Eindhoven University of Technology’ in the Netherlands.
Reinforcing the electricity grid at the rate required to meet energy transition goals is a challenge due to the increases in financing and manpower this would require. Battery energy storage can contribute to solving this challenge. By managing power flows on the grid, it is possible for batteries to reduce grid overloading and/or lower grid congestion. In this way, grid reinforcement can be deferred to allow for more gradual (and feasible) rates of grid reinforcement without slowing the rate of energy transition. However, as noted in literature, batteries are not necessarily beneficial for the electricity grid, and may introduce new problems. This raises the question:
How can battery energy storage system designs be evaluated taking their interactions with the electricity grid into account?
Answering this question is not straightforward. Many studies on this topic neglect or simplify interactions between batteries and the electricity grid, which can limit the insight these studies provide. In particular, the following research gaps were identified during this thesis:
1. How power flow simultaneity affects battery capacity sizing;
2. How battery siting configuration affects battery capacity sizing; and
3. How different battery control strategies affect battery performance and battery grid impacts, considering the perspectives of different stakeholders.
Our Battery Energy Storage Evaluation Method (BESEM) was developed to address these research gaps and thereby provide an answer to the research question stated above. The BESEM describes a method of modelling BES grid interactions by linking a battery energy storage model with an electricity grid model, as depicted in the figure below. As shown in the figure, the BESEM accounts for several aspects relating to the electricity grid and BES, including: grid component properties (e.g., grid topology data), load and generation profiles on a household level, variable battery locations, electricity market data, battery characteristics and customisable battery control strategies. These data are fed into the appropriate models to determine: a) Power flows across the modelled electricity network; and b) Battery (dis)charge profiles.
The defence will take place on on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025, at 13:30, in room 0.710 of the Atlas building at Eindhoven University of Technology. You are invited to attend in person or online (link to follow). Please let me know if you intend to join in person so that I can arrange proper catering: [email protected].
Text by: Christian van Someren.