Modelling energy storage systems for electric utility applications: Preliminary considerations

Storage of off-peak electric energy for use during peak load periods is an attractive operating feature of pumped hydroelectric systems. Other forms of energy storage such as compressed air in underground caverns or thermal energy as sensible or latent heat are becoming practical and so, the number of utilities for which storage is a feasible option is increasing. The choice of several storage devices with different characteristics complicates the design problem and suggests the need for a generic model of an energy storage system for use in a generation planning program. This paper contains preliminary considerations in the construction of such a model and in the development of accompanying algorithms for its optimal design and realization by physical energy storage devices.