Levelized cost of energy and storage of compressed air energy storage with wind and solar plants in Morocco

Abstract

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental impact of fossil fuels, Morocco has decided to increase the use of renewable energy resources. The intermittent nature of renewable energy resources causes instability in the power grid. Energy storage is the appropri-ate solution to this problem. Compressed air energy storage is a technology that stores energy in the form of high-pressure compressed air in above ground tanks or underground caverns. Large-scale storage of compressed air energy requires the storage of large volumes in salt caverns or aquifers. The aim of this paper is to find out the benefits of integrating underground compressed air energy storage technology. A case study in Morocco is used to estimate the levelized cost of energy plus storage (LCOES). The annual capacity factor for solar and wind power plants and the potential of underground caverns in Morocco were analyzed. The results illustrate that for a system with 100 MW capacity installed in the Casablanca region, the combination of an adiabatic compressed air energy storage system (ACAES) with a wind turbine installation offers the lowest electricity price per kWh, with average LCOES of 0.04 $/kWh.

Keywords

• Capacity Factor
• Compressed Air
• Energy Storage
• LCOE
• LCOES
• LCOS

References

1. [1] IEA. Energy and Climate Change. World Energy Outlook Special Report. Available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-climate-change. Accessed June 11, 2024.
2. [2] Bayareh M, Usefian A. Simulation of parabolic trough solar collectors using various discretization approaches: A review. Eng Anal Bound Elem 2023;153:126–137. [CrossRef]
3. [3] Gay FW. Means for storing fluids for power generation. United States Patent 2433896; 1948.
4. [4] Borri E, Tafone A, Comodi G, Romagnoli A, Cabeza LF. Compressed air energy storage–An overview of research trends and gaps through a bibliometric analysis. Energies 2022;15:7692. [CrossRef]
5. [5] Rogers A, Henderson A, Wang X, Negnevitsky M. Compressed air energy storage: Thermodynamic and economic review. 2014 IEEE PES General Meeting | Conference & Exposition; 27-31 Jul 2014; National Harbor, MD, USA. pp. 1–5. [CrossRef]
6. [6] Wang J, Ma L, Lu K, Miao S, Wang D, Wang J. Current research and development trend of compressed air energy storage. Syst Sci Control Engineer 2017;5:434–448. [CrossRef]
7. [7] Castellani B, Presciutti A, Morini E, Filipponi M, Nicolini A, Rossi F. Use of phase change materials during compressed air expansion for isothermal CAES plants. J Phys Conf Ser 2017;923: 012037. [CrossRef]
8. [8] Tiago Filho GL, Lozano Vela GA, da Silva LJ, Perazzini MTB, Fernandes dos Santos E, Febba D. Analysis and feasibility of a compressed air energy storage system (CAES) enriched with ethanol. Energy Conver Manage 2021;243:114371. [CrossRef]

9. [9] Sadeghi S, Askari IB. Prefeasibility techno-economic assessment of a hybrid power plant with photovoltaic, fuel cell and Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES). Energy 2019;168:409–424. [CrossRef]
10. [10] Dib G, Haberschill P, Rulliere R, Perroit Q, Davies S, Revellin R. Thermodynamic simulation of a micro advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage for building application. Appl Energy 2020;260:114248. [CrossRef]
11. [11] Bennett JA, Simpson JG, Qin C, Fittro R, Koenig GM Jr., Clarens AF, et al. Techno-economic analysis of offshore isothermal compressed air energy storage in saline aquifers co-located with wind power. Appl Energy 2021;303:117587. [CrossRef]
12. [12] Cheekatamarla PK, Kassaee S, Abu-Heiba A, Momen AM. Near isothermal compressed air energy storage system in residential and commercial buildings: Techno- economic analysis. Energy 2022;251:123963. [CrossRef]
13. [13] Abdulrahim HK, Ahmed M. Levelized cost analysis for desalination using renewable energy in GCC. Desalin Water Treat 2022;263:3–8. [CrossRef]
14. [14] Xu Y, Pei J, Cui L, Liu P, Ma T. The levelized cost of storage of electrochemical energy storage technologies in China. Front Energy Res 2022;10:873800. [CrossRef]
15. [15] King M, Jain A, Bhakar R, Mathur J, Wang J. Overview of current compressed air energy storage projects and analysis of the potential underground storage capacity in India and the UK. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2021;139:110705. [CrossRef]
16. [16] Dougherty RC. Density of salt solutions: Effect of ions on the apparent density of water. J Phys Chem B 2001;105:4514–4519. [CrossRef]
17. [17] Azara S. [WebTV] Stockage des hydrocarbures: recours aux cavités salines pour une meilleure sécurité d'approvisionnement. Available at: https://www.ecoactu.ma/stockage-hydrocarbures-cavites-salines-capacites/. Accessed June 11, 2024.
18. [18] Gartet A, Gartet J, García CC. Exploitation des salines au massif diapiroque de Tissa et impacts environnementaux (Prérif Central, Maroc septentrional). Pap Geogr 2006;44:23–28. [French]
19. [19] Choupin O, Tetu A, Del Río-Gamero B, Ferri F, Kofoed JP. Premises for an annual energy production and capacity factor improvement towards a few optimised wave energy converters configurations and resources pairs. Appl Energy 2022;312:118716. [CrossRef]
20. [20] Renewables.ninja. Available at: https://www.renewables.ninja/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
21. [21] Yang Q, Li H, Li T, Zhou X. Wind farm layout optimization for levelized cost of energy minimization with combined analytical wake model and hybrid optimization strategy. Energy Conver Manage 2021;248:114778. [CrossRef]
22. [22] Ogletree A, Cellucci N.How much do solar panels cost in 2024? Available at: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/average-cost-of-solar-panels/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
23. [23] Blewet D. Wind turbine cost: How much? Are they worth it in 2024?Available at: https://weatherguardwind.com/how-much-does-wind-turbine-cost-worth-it/. Accessed June 12, 2024.
24. [24] Tong Z, Cheng Z, Tong S. A review on the development of compressed air energy storage in China: Technical and economic challenges to commercialization. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2021;135:110178. [CrossRef]
25. [25] Park WS. Integrating compressed air energy storage with borehole thermal energy storage: A feasibility study [Master’s thesis]. Ontario, Canada: University of Waterloo; 2020.
26. [26] Roos P, Haselbacher A. Analytical modeling of advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage: Literature review and new models. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2022;163:112464. [CrossRef]
27. [27] Boulakhbar M, Lebrouhi B, Kousksou T, Smouh S, Jamil A, Maaroufi M, et al. Towards a large-scale integration of renewable energies in Morocco. J Energy Storage 2020;32:101806. [CrossRef]
28. [28] ONEE. Available at: http://www.one.org.ma/Accessed June 12, 2024.
29. [29] Arndt C, Arent D, Hartley F, Merven B, Mondal AH. Faster than you think: Renewable energy and developing countries. Annu Rev Resour Econ 2019;11:149–168. [CrossRef]
30. [30] Shields M, Beiter P, Nunemaker J, Cooperman A, Duffy P. Impacts of turbine and plant upsizing on the levelized cost of energy for offshore wind. Appl Energy 2021;298:117189. [CrossRef]
31. [31] Hansen K. Decision-making based on energy costs: Comparing levelized cost of energy and energy system costs. Energy Strategy Rev 2019;24:68–82. [CrossRef]