The aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact and feasibility of implementing large scale energy storage systems for the purpose of energy shifting at grid connected solar parks in Namibia. The country, which receives a large amount of solar irradiance, is ideal for the construction of solar parks. However, as solar parks are an intermittent energy source, energy storage systems are becoming an increasingly attractive option in order to decrease losses and secure the supply of electricity. For this purpose, a model in Matlab was created to simulate different storage types. The input data was simulated with site-specific information for Windhoek in PVsyst and then evaluated in an economic analysis where electricity tariff pricing, battery investment costs and exchange rates were the main variables. This report is structured through starting with an introduction where the background of the Namibian electricity market and essential terms are presented. This is followed by a detailed description of the Matlab model construction and a literature review of battery types and storage systems. The simulation models and results are then evaluated both from an economical and technical perspective and the main findings are presented. Through this project, it was concluded that energy storage is not feasible today with current market conditions. Even with favorable electricity tariffs and Namibian exchange rates, storage technologies are currently too expensive today in order for it to be economically defensible. The forecast is however promising, where decreasing investment prices and an increased of R&D in the technology is expected. From the constructed model, it was however concluded that sodium-sulfur is by far the best option today. The reason for this is the low initial cost and relatively high round-trip efficiency of the technology. The model also proved the potential of increased electricity security from using energy shifting. With energy storage, the delivered energy from solar parks now coincide better with the demand since the intermittency is decreased. However, for future studies a detailed analysis of energy storage effects on the grid is recommended.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mdh-32390 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Öhrström, Adrian, Frisk, Joakim |
| Publisher | Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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