Electricity Storage and Renewables: Costs and Markets to 2030

Battery systems can support a wide range of services needed for the transition to a sustainable energy system, from providing frequency response, reserve capacity, black-start capability and other grid services, to storing power in electric vehicles, upgrading mini-grids and supporting “self-consumption” of rooftop solar power. IRENA has developed the spreadsheet-based Electricity Storage Cost-of-Service Tool, which allows a quick analysis of the approximate annual cost of electricity storage service for different technologies in different applications. It allows those interested in specific applications to identify some of the potentially more cost-effective options available.