Policies addressing large-scale battery systems and grid congestion

Large-scale batteries can play an important role in a sustainable and reliable energy system. They contribute to sustainable energy balancing: supply and demand per second, minute. CE Delft conducted a study for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and TKI Urban Energy on decreasing grid congestion and how much battery power can be realised for energy balancing economically.

The study focused primarily on large-scale batteries and grid congestion due to electricity off-take, and our conclusions are as follows:

• Congestion-neutral: CE Delft has identified policies that allow batteries to function congestion-neutral: they are then guaranteed not to increase the grid load during congestion. This requires an adjustment of policies by the central government, ACM and grid operators. Adjustments are required to congestion management, spatial control and new forms of contracts between grid and battery operators.
• Increasing peak load and contributing to grid congestion: As a result of current policies, we expect that a large proportion of new battery projects are going to increase peak load through energy balancing. Without a policy, batteries will then contribute to grid congestion and exacerbate problems in some areas. Currently, congestion management the policy with regard to congestion. Within the financial limits specified in the regulations, the budget is to small to compensate for batteries if they are not allowed to function during periods of congestion. As a result, they will contribute to congestion and not function congestion-neutrally. While batteries may play a useful role through energy balancing, they contribute to the grid load and therefore to grid congestion, along with businesses and homes.
• Resolve off-grid congestion: Large-scale batteries are not a reliable, affordable, scalable or feasible solution to resolve grid congestion for electricity off-take and thereby connect extra customers. Current battery projects cannot technically do this either. From a social perspective, it is more cost-effective to reinforce the power grid.

This study is focused on grid congestion reduction, as its societal impacts are the most significant; for example, businesses cannot transition to sustainability or expand. In a subsequent study, research was conducted on generation grid congestion: Policy for large-scale batteries and generation grid congestion (only available in Dutch).