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Categories
Energy storage and flexibility
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Energy storage and flexibility
R1 and L1 revving up the BESS revenues
In our ‘The VFF… Very Fast and Financially rewarding market so far’ Chart of the week, the two new contingency markets, the Very Fast raise contingency FCAS market and the Very Fast lower contingency FCAS, were analysed and demonstrated the high participation of big batteries along with VPPs and DERs....
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Energy storage and flexibility
How long is the ‘Golden time of day’ for batteries?
A key part of the business case for grid-scale standalone batteries is the arbitrage opportunity between low daytime wholesale prices (when renewable energy generation from solar is plentiful) and high evening prices (when the sun goes down and household demand ramps up quickly). The share of battery revenue coming from...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Spread your wings and arbitrage away as Q2 sees ‘the spread’ increase
The focus of batteries is constantly adjusting to reflect ‘where the money is at’. Various quarters have trends, and others have events that swing momentum. With FCAS enablement in Q2 this year dropping to some of the lowest values since 2016, shifting the solar curve, or rather arbitrage, became the...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Proposed changes to PFR and the impact on battery operations
On 3 August, at the request of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) initiated a rule change request proposing to “clarify the mandatory primary frequency response (PFR) obligations of scheduled bidirectional plant (i.e. batteries with a capacity of 5MW and greater)”. One of the...
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Energy storage and flexibility
How much ‘annuity’ do you need under LTESA?
The NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap’s second competitive tender round for firming infrastructure commenced on 3 April 2023. This second round is focused on supporting LTESA firming supply proponents, where ‘the LTES Operator will have the option to access a capped annuity payment as a top-up to the operating revenues of...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Operating in a vicious cycle
When project developers evaluate the potential profits for a new battery project in the NEM, one key variable being considered is the maximum allowable cycling rate of the battery. Cycling at higher rates can enable more arbitrage profits to be earned, but every MWh of energy that passes through the...
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Energy storage and flexibility
A look at AEMO pre-dispatch forecasts over the last year
The Energy Security Board (ESB), under the direction of the National Cabinet, is currently working on a number of changes that will impact how generators connect to and operate within the National Electricity Market (NEM). The Congestion Relief Market (CRM) model is one such change to how the NEM currently...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Exploring the impact of storage assets on QEJP sensitivities
Battery storage has great potential to generate high revenues during large market shifts, especially in Queensland (as shown in our previous analysis in Cotw #158). The Queensland government’s recently announced Energy and Jobs Plan (QEJP) would be another big shift as it aims to reduce the state’s reliance on generation...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Navigating the Changing Landscape of Balancing Services Pricing Developments
From an energy market perspective, 2022 was an especially interesting year as geopolitical events pushed Europe’s energy sector out of the status-quo and into uncertain and uncharted territory. While most of the attention remained focused on developments within the wholesale sphere, interesting developments arose within the balancing services space too....
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Energy storage and flexibility
Turning Japanese: Typical power price spreads in Japan
Cornwall Insight has been supporting customers in the Japanese market for some time now. This Chart of the week explores the daily spreads seen in recent quarters and why a number of international players are turning to Japan. The Japanese market has experienced substantial volatility in recent quarters. The island...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Out with the old, in with the new: T-4 Capacity Market clears at record price
On 21 February, the T-4 Capacity Market auction for Delivery Year 2026-27 cleared at a record high price of £63.00/kW/year, procuring 43,000.955MW of capacity. In this week’s 'Chart of the week', we explore the key takeaways from the auction.
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Energy storage and flexibility
A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect…
At demand levels averaging only ~200-700MW, FCAS markets are dwarfed by the ~20,000MW energy demand in the NEM. Nonetheless, with 8 different markets to participate in, the potential value that participating in FCAS can add to a participant's revenue should not be underestimated. In this Chart of the week, we...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Delays to NEM connections and accurate forecasts
AEMO is currently consulting on its methodology for reliability forecasting in the NEM, and among their proposed changes is an adjustment to the inclusion of projected new capacity. The existing assumptions are being examined due to two factors; Most new connections in the NEM assume that the time taken to...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Crying over spilled solar – how much can a battery help?
A standalone battery earns its revenue not only from the arbitrage opportunity between day and night prices but also from participation in FCAS markets. This remains true when the battery is paired with a solar farm but can be complicated by constraints or trade-offs between FCAS participation and solar export....
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Energy storage and flexibility
What’s GoOing on with REGOs?
The world of Green Certificates is a complex area of the energy sector and is set to become more-so as we head towards a period of major regulatory change in 2023. The EU’s Guarantee of Origins (GoOs) and GB’s equivalent Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGOs) are certificates proving the production...
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Energy storage and flexibility
DFS – home delivery now available
On 4 November, Ofgem granted approval to the National Grid ESO proposal to create a demand flexibility service this winter. This will allow consumers and businesses to be paid for the first time to reduce or shift their electricity usage out of peak periods this winter following a signal from...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Christmas comes early for South Australian battery owners
The choice of Chart of the week was an easy one following Saturday’s storms that ‘reined’ down on South Australia. The state became isolated from the rest of the National Electricity Market after one of ElectraNet’s pylons, supporting the interconnector between SA and Victoria, was knocked down[1]. The consequence...
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Energy storage and flexibility
State of Storage: Investigating battery profit for NEM states
It has been an interesting year for Australian energy markets, facing unprecedentedly high energy prices, coal outages, and market suspension. In today’s Chart of the week, we will investigate the impact a BESS would have made during FY 2022. Using Cornwall Insight Australia’s battery simulation model, we simulated a stand-alone...
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Energy storage and flexibility
It’s My Birthday – Two years of Dynamic Containment
October marks two years since the launch of the frequency response service, Dynamic Containment (DC). Its inception was the first in the roll out of new faster-acting frequency response services, accompanied by Dynamic Moderation (DM) and Dynamic Regulation (DR) earlier this year. In this week's 'Chart of the Week', we...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Record renewables pipeline: will investors reconsider after UK proposes green revenue cap?
News this week that the UK government is mulling over a cap on green generation revenues comes at a time when our research finds that the investment pipeline for electricity renewables generation is the highest it has ever been. In our Renewables Pipeline Tracker (RPT) service we analyse the growing...
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Energy storage and flexibility
National Grid outlines Winter Demand and Supply scenarios
National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) and National Grid Gas both published their respective 2022-23 Winter Outlook reports on 6 October. The reports are published at a time of unprecedented flux both domestically and aboard, largely stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. In this week's 'Chart...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Unlocking REMA: emerging market views
Recent market events have continued to highlight the challenges of the energy trilemma, specifically the need to decarbonise the energy system while ensuring energy security and affordability. The government announced in April 2022 it would be undertaking a Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) to address these issues, and in...
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Energy storage and flexibility
It’s a fix! BEIS floors competitive energy market
Last week saw the government announce the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which will see the typical dual fuel household’s unit rates capped at 34p/kWh for electricity and 10.3p/kWh for gas. Customers on fixed tariffs will get support to bring their tariffs down to the same level, up to 17p/kWh of...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Now we’re peaking with gas: how much evening NEM demand could be replaced with batteries?
The events leading up to the recent market suspension in June have highlighted the role that peaking gas-fired generation plays in satisfying demand and setting prices across the NEM in the morning and evening peak periods. The team recently explored some of the drivers and effects of these events in...
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Energy storage and flexibility
“Each day looking for new ways to go on”: could a renewable capacity market assist hydrogen turbines?
The rise of renewables has seen the need for additional firming capacity in order to smooth renewable output and replace coal capacity in the evening peak. The ESB and federal Ministers are currently in discussions regarding the development (or not) of a capacity market for the NEM. Interestingly from the...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Sky-high prices in Dynamic Containment
In this week’s ‘Chart of the Week’, we explore the drivers behind the record high prices seen in the Dynamic Containment Low service in June, which saw individual assets accrue gross revenues of over £1mn, and consider the outlook for future service prices.
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Energy storage and flexibility
Chart of the week | The summer of our discontent?
Wholesale power and gas prices have surged significantly in the past year and have been highly volatile alongside rapidly unfolding geopolitical events. This summer, the overall direction of energy prices could move in a number of ways, dependent on further sanctions and counter-sanctions between Russia and the West, as well...
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Energy storage and flexibility
Hydrogen hype: How cheap the hydrogen from electrolysis can be?
Hydrogen is considered a potential replacement for fossil fuels for energy generation, transport etc. Currently, 96% of hydrogen production originates from fossil fuels through steam reforming and coal gasifications. Only a small fraction (~4%) is produced via electrolysis. The high Capex of the electrolyser is usually referred to as the...
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Commercial and market outlook
BSUoS charges: volatility, deferral and reform
Over the last few years Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges have experienced significant volatility, with costs reaching record high levels which have added to the rise in consumer electricity bills and ultimately resulted in intervention in order to cap BSUoS rates. In this Chart of the week', we...