Hybrid Battery and Sensible Thermal Energy Storage for a Microgrid in a Remote Indigenous Canadian Community

Abstract

Decarbonization of remote northern Indigenous communities requires integration of renewable generation into existing fossil-fueled energy systems. As these systems approach complete decarbonization, energy storage technologies become increasingly critical. We investigate the impact of battery and sensible thermal energy storage systems in the context of decarbonizing both electrical and thermal loads for the Xeni Gwet'in remote community in British Columbia, Canada. Two scenarios are modeled and compared with renewable energy fractions ranging from 60% to 100%. The two systems modeled include wind and solar electricity generation combined with either: (1) a battery energy storage system, or (2) a hybridized battery and sensible thermal energy storage system. Scenarios are evaluated according to levelized cost of energy to present the techno-economic impacts of hybridized storage at varying levels of decarbonization. Technical considerations of coupling battery and sensible thermal energy storage, including market readiness, operation and maintenance, and impact on grid performance, are also discussed.