Economic and environmental assessment of different energy storage methods for hybrid energy systems

Due to the environmental impact of fossil fuels, renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, is rapidly developed. In energy systems, energy storage units are important, which can regulate the safe and stable operation of the power system. However, different energy storage methods have different environmental and economic impacts in renewable energy systems. This paper proposed three different energy storage methods for hybrid energy systems containing different renewable energy including wind, solar, bioenergy and hydropower, meanwhile. Based on Homer Pro software, this paper compared and analyzed the economic and environmental results of different methods in the energy system through the case of a residential community in Baotou City. The result showed that (1) the use of batteries as energy storage in communities posed the lowest energy costs whose NPC was $197,396 and LCOE was $0.159, consisting of 20 batteries, 19.3 kW PV, 6 wind turbines, a 12.6 kW converter. (2) Lower fuel cell prices mean lower NPC and the increase in the Electric Load Scaled Average implied a decrease in LCOE and the increase of the NPC. (3) The use of fuel cells also had impacts on the environment, such as resulting CO₂ and SO₂.