 NYISO Considers Energy StorageMar 31, 2010 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com The organization released a white paper that examines the role of energy storage renewable power and system reliability. As renewable energy continues to come onto the grid, some grid operators are looking to energy storage to help with frequency regulation. This week, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) issued a white paper that reviews the possible benefits of energy storage systems to the operation of the bulk power system especially as it relates to renewables. Various companies are planning to develop grid-scale energy storage facilities in New York after FERC’s 2009 decision to allow the NYISO to use limited energy storage resources (LESR) — which includes battery and flywheel technologies — to provide the “regulation” service needed to balance electrical supply and demand on the grid. Regulation service is generally provided by power plants that increase or decrease output in response to system needs. LESRs can instantaneously switch from being a load to a generator, thus providing regulation service similar to that of a conventional power plant. Since the ruling, Beacon Power has announced that it is constructing a 20-megawatt flywheel energy storage facility in Stephentown. AES Energy Storage has proposed three 20-megawatt battery storage facilities in Broome, Onondaga and Niagara counties. “These energy storage resources are ideal for responding to the moment-to-moment adjustments needed to operate the bulk electricity grid, ” said Stephen G. Whitley, NYISO president and CEO.
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