2023 Was One other Massive Yr for Newly Put in & Proposed Hybrid Energy Crops, Even with PPA Value Will increase – CleanTechnica – Uplaza

Join every day information updates from CleanTechnica on e mail. Or observe us on Google Information!

Newly launched knowledge compilation from Berkeley Lab tracks operational and proposed crops

Bettering battery know-how and the expansion of variable renewable era are driving a surge of curiosity in “hybrid” energy crops that mix, for instance, utility-scale wind and/or photo voltaic producing capability with co-located batteries. A newly launched briefing from Berkeley Lab tracks and maps each operational and proposed hybrid crops >1 MW in dimension throughout the US whereas additionally synthesizing knowledge mined from energy buy agreements (PPAs).

This briefing is accompanied by two knowledge visualizations, one centered on on-line crops and the opposite on these in interconnection queues, and an Excel knowledge file with element on particular person crops. We’ll current this report throughout a free one-hour webinar on September 30, 1:00 PM Jap. To register, go to: https://lbnl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Mw5i4a5ZQKuUJRKkBPvGgg

Operational hybrid progress continued at a wholesome tempo in 2023, particularly for PV+Storage

80 new hybrid crops (>1 MW) started working throughout the US in 2023, totaling practically 7.9 GW of producing capability and three.6 GW/11.6 GWh of vitality storage. PV+storage crops are the commonest and could be discovered all through a lot of the nation (see map for all PV Hybrids put in by the top of 2023), although the biggest such crops are in California and the West, in addition to Texas and Florida. However there are practically twenty different hybrid plant configurations we observe as nicely, together with a number of completely different fossil hybrid classes (every dominated by the fossil part) in addition to wind+storage, wind+PV, wind+PV+storage, geothermal+PV, and others.

Among the many operational generator+storage hybrids, PV+storage dominates when it comes to plant quantity (288), storage capability (7.8 GW/24.2 GWh), storage:generator capability ratio (54% or 0.54 GW of storage per GW of photo voltaic), and storage period (3.1 hours). This comparatively excessive storage ratio and period particularly counsel that storage is offering useful resource adequacy (i.e., capability firming) and vitality arbitrage (i.e., shifting energy gross sales from lower- to higher-priced intervals) capabilities to PV+storage crops. In distinction, the comparatively low storage ratio and quick period of wind+storage crops means that they’re primarily concentrating on the ancillary companies markets (e.g., offering regulation and/or reserves).

66 of the 80 hybrids added in 2023 had been PV+storage. As of the top of 2023, there was roughly as a lot storage capability working in PV+storage hybrids as in standalone storage crops (~7.5 GW every). In storage vitality phrases, nonetheless, PV+storage edged out standalone storage by ~7 GWh (24.2 GWh vs. 17.5 GWh, respectively). Provision of grid companies stays the most well-liked use case for storage, however vitality arbitrage has elevated in recognition within the final 4 years.

Interconnection queues additionally present progress in hybrid proposals in 2023

Information on crops below growth from the interconnection queues of all seven ISOs/RTOs plus 44 non-ISO balancing areas (together with utilities and Energy Advertising and marketing Administrations) present continued robust developer curiosity in hybridization. On the shut of 2023, there was roughly 1,086 GW of photo voltaic crops within the nation’s queues; 599 GW (~55%) of this capability was proposed as a hybrid, most usually pairing PV with battery storage (PV+storage represented 86% of all hybrid capability within the queues). For wind, 366 GW of capability sat within the queues, with 51 GW (~14%) proposed as a hybrid, once more most-often pairing wind with storage (wind+storage represented ~5% of all hybrid capability within the queues). Greater than half of all storage within the queues is estimated to be a part of a hybrid plant.

On the finish of 2023, there have been 18% extra hybrid crops—representing 33% extra producing capability—within the queues than there have been on the finish of 2022. Storage capability in hybrid type elevated by 48% from 2022 to 2023; by comparability, standalone storage capability within the queues elevated by 52% year-over-year. This relative progress is especially notable provided that the Inflation Discount Act (IRA), which turned regulation in August 2022, offers standalone storage with entry to the funding tax credit score (ITC) for the primary time, thereby eradicating among the impetus to couple battery storage with photo voltaic in a hybrid configuration. It’s subsequently considerably shocking to see roughly equal progress of each hybrid and standalone storage capability mirrored on this yr’s report (each for tasks coming on-line in 2023 in addition to being proposed within the queues). It might be that the market nonetheless wants extra time to react, however there are a number of countervailing explanation why the development of hybridization may proceed regardless of the standalone storage ITC, resembling bypassing clogged queues or boosting a PV plant’s capability credit score, which finally may outweigh different issues. We’ll proceed to trace this development in future studies.

Whereas most of the crops proposed within the queues is not going to finally attain business operations, the depth of curiosity in hybrid crops—particularly PV+storage—is notable, significantly in sure areas. For instance, in CAISO, 98% of all photo voltaic capability and 34% of all wind capability within the queues is proposed as a hybrid. Business curiosity in California little doubt derives from the state’s want for capability sources to fulfill useful resource adequacy necessities, however it is usually pushed by the pronounced every day wholesale pricing patterns induced by excessive photo voltaic penetrations that create arbitrage alternatives for storage that don’t but exist in the identical magnitude in most different wholesale markets.

PPA costs for PV+storage are growing

Lastly, we survey pricing knowledge from 105 PV+storage PPAs in 10 states totaling 13 GW of PV and seven.8 GW/30.9 GWh of batteries. Sixty-eight of those 105 PPAs are from working PV+storage crops, whereas the opposite 37 crops are nonetheless below building or in growth. PV+storage PPA costs have began to extend since 2020 (left graph, under), although such worth will increase don’t appear to have put a damper on curiosity in creating these hybrids. The “levelized storage adders” have additionally elevated to ~$10000/MW-month, ~$80/MWh-stored (assuming one full cycle per day), or ~$35/MWh-PV (as proven in the precise graph, under). A number of the current worth improve might merely mirror a development in the direction of increased battery:PV capability ratios on the mainland over time (whereas this ratio is often pegged at 1 to 1 in Hawaii), which is able to improve prices, all else being equal. The well-publicized impression of inflationary and provide chain pressures on costs in 2022 may be a short-term contributor, although battery costs have extra not too long ago hit all-time lows.

For additional particulars on these and different findings, together with new evaluation on battery roundtrip efficiencies, please discuss with the PowerPoint-style knowledge compilation, which could be downloaded right here. The briefing can be accompanied by two knowledge visualizations, one centered on on-line crops and the opposite on these in interconnection queues, and an Excel knowledge file with element on particular person crops.

Lastly, as soon as once more we’ll current this report throughout a free one-hour webinar on September thirtieth, 1 PM Jap. To register, go to: https://lbnl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Mw5i4a5ZQKuUJRKkBPvGgg

Courtesy of Will Gorman & Joe Rand, Lawrence Berkeley Nationwide Laboratory