Generation management using batteries in wind farms: Economical and technical analysis for Spain

This paper presents an hourly management method for energy generated in grid-connected wind farms using battery storage (Wind–Batteries systems). The method proposed is analysed technically and economically.Electricity generation in wind farms does not usually coincide with the electrical demand curve. If the wind-power penetration becomes high in the Spanish electrical grid, energy management will become necessary for some wind farms. A method is proposed in this paper to adjust the generation curve to the demand curve by storing electrical energy in batteries during off-peak hours (low demand) and selling stored energy to the grid during peak hours (high demand).With the results obtained and reported in this paper, for a Wind–Batteries system to be economically as profitable as a Wind-Only system, the selling price of the energy provided by the batteries during peak hours should be between 22 and 66 c€/kWh, depending on the technology and cost of the batteries. Comparison with flexible thermal generation has been performed.Additionally, the results are compared with those obtained if using hydrogen (Wind–Hydrogen system, which uses an electrolyser, hydrogen tank, and fuel cell instead of batteries), concluding that the Wind–Batteries system is both economically and energetically far more suitable.