Electricity and Control October 2024

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Energy storage solutions key to the energy transition Richard von Moltke, General Manager at Static Power, a division of ACTOM, says as South Africa progresses its energy transition – needing to meet rising demand and, at the same time, reduce emissions – energy storage is key, enabling the integration of renewable energy and promising stable grids.

H owever, in considering the energy transition and the role of energy storage, von Moltke emphasises that it is important to differentiate between ‘in-front-of the-meter’ and ‘behind-the-meter’ systems. These distinct segments raise different timelines, approaches and re source pools, and both are equally important for the coun try’s energy transition. Behind-the-meter (BTM) systems are typically smaller and usually fall into the private sector space – in residen tial, commercial, and industrial systems. These systems are quicker and easier (although still complex) to install and could have a faster impact on South Africa’s energy tran sition. The impact of distributed systems has already been seen over the past three years with the steep increase in solar PV installations, mainly by small businesses and res idential users. In-front-of-the-meter (FTM) systems are bigger utility scale projects that will be driven by Eskom or other power utilities or independent power producers (IPPs) and Eskom together. These are typically long-term projects and solutions that may take four to six years to complete. While both are important, behind-the-meter solutions provide immediate relief to the country’s energy con straints. In-front-of-the-meter projects are key to meeting the country’s mid- to longer-term energy transition targets and reducing emissions. These larger projects will enhance

the wider use of grid infrastructure and over time assist in reducing South Africa’s reliance on coal power stations.

Energy goals Energy storage is key to South Africa achieving its energy goals. Although the country has great renewable energy sources, von Moltke highlights that the renewable energy generation profile does not align with the load profile. Hence, we need energy storage solutions to store ener gy during peak renewables generation times, when there is lower demand. Excess energy produced during peak gen eration periods and stored in energy storage systems can then be dispatched during high-demand periods to sup port a more efficient and stable energy network. However, the other challenge the country currently faces is that in areas with the highest solar irradiance, where so lar PV projects are most economical, and similarly in those areas with the highest wind resource and the best locations for wind farms, there are grid capacity constraints and, at present, very few energy storage solutions. Projects are un der way to establish large battery energy storage systems in strategic locations to ensure that excess energy is not lost, but these projects take time. Energy storage is a crucial part of a sustainable electric ity network, von Moltke reiterates, and although technology is likely to evolve and change going forward, some sort of

storage system must be part of the long-term solution for the country’s energy transition. He notes that various factors have contrib uted to the slow adoption of energy storage in South Africa. With the rapid advance of tech nology over the past few years, it has been difficult for investors to align with and invest in a specific technology and solution for local production without knowing whether it will still be viable in a few years’ time. An inadequate regulatory framework has added to uncer tainties in the industry. Moving forward A long stretch of loadshedding forced the country to transition quickly to accepting en ergy storage solutions in behind-the-meter applications. However, the uptake in com mercial and industrial sectors has been more hesitant because, depending on the type of

Energy storage is a crucial part of a sustainable electricity network.

14 Electricity + Control OCTOBER 2024