Is there a trade-off between energy storage and peak regulation?

In the meantime, the trade-off between deploying energy storage and leveraging the deep peak regulation capacity of existing thermal generators remains to be explored.

What are the three stages of peak regulation of thermal power units?

According to the output characteristics of thermal power units during peak regulation operation, they can be divided into three stages: regular peak regulation (RPR), deep peak regulation with out oil (DPR) and deep peak regulation with oil (DPRO), as shown in Figure 1. Schematic diagram of thermal power unit peaking process.

What is the optimal energy storage allocation model in a thermal power plant?

On this basis, an optimal energy storage allocation model in a thermal power plant is proposed, which aims to maximize the total economic profits obtained from peak regulation and renewable energy utilization in the system simultaneously, while considering the operational constraints of energy storage and generation units.

How does peak regulation affect the operating state of thermal power units?

While at the phase of normal peak regulation, the operation cost increases as the power output increases. Therefore, for economic operation, the optimal operating state of thermal power units better be maintained near the lower limit of normal peak regulation. Fig. 3. Deep peak regulation cost of thermal units.

Can thermal power units meet the increasing demands of regulation?

However, restricted by the motion inertia and friction loss of mechanical equipment, the adjustment speed of thermal power units cannot meet the increasing demands of regulation . Energy storage technology has gained significant attention over the years as a new resource for adjusting and solving the shortage of flexible resources [11, 12].

Does a higher renewable penetration rate reduce thermal power units' operation cost?

This is because increasing the penetration of cost-free renewable generation decreases the operation cost of thermal power units, as shown in Fig. 16, Fig. 17, Fig. 18. However, with a higher renewable penetration rate, the total operation cost might increase due to the penalty of renewable curtailment.