Altenbach, Franziska (2022) Energy storage in a Positive Energy District - Conditions for the use of Pumped Hydro Energy Storage in Austria. Master thesis.
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Abstract
Due to the current energy transition, renewable energies (RE) are becoming more common worldwide. This is leading to the development of concepts, such as Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), which aim to make the use of RE more attractive. The main idea of PEDs is that a defined urban area (district) is supplied with RE and has an annual surplus of emission-free energy (positive energy). There are three different forms of PEDs, which differ in terms of their geographic boundaries. A distinction is made between autonomous, dynamic, and virtual PEDs. However, RE brings with it a decisive disadvantage. Renewable sources are often less predictable and therefore less reliable in comparison to fossil fuels. This is because renewable sources such as wind or solar radiation are not constantly available but depend on natural fluctuations. As a result, energy flexibility decreases. In order to maintain energy flexibility despite high RE shares, one possibility is to store surplus energy with e.g. pumped hydro energy storage (PHES). To ensure energy flexibility in PEDs, this research addresses the question of what conditions are necessary to use PHES as a storage option in PEDs, and how this differs across the three different forms of PEDs. A distinction can be made between four conditions that influence the feasibility of PHES as energy storage in PEDs: Techno-environmental drivers, techno-environmental barriers, socio-economic drivers, and socio-economic barriers. This research has shown that the most economically viable option is to use PHES in PEDs as virtual energy storage. However, this is only possible in virtual PEDs as they have the possibility to use energy facilities outside their geographical boundaries and the distance between the virtually used PHES and the PEDs is negligible. Autonomous and dynamic PEDs, unlike virtual PEDs, are more bound to their geographical boundaries, which makes it difficult to use PHES as virtual storage. One possibility, however, would be to establish PEDs in proximity to the PHES. However, this option requires a shared grid connection point and entails economic disadvantages such as lower efficiency of the PHES.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Environmental & Infrastructure Planning |
| Supervisor: | Geet, M.T. van |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Aug 2022 11:01 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Aug 2022 11:01 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3988 |
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