Assessing the benefits of compressed air energy storage on the 2020 Irish power system

Power systems have evolved as countries implement energy policies focusing on energy efficiency and increased share of renewable energy sources (RES). At the forefront is non-dispatchable generation such as wind and solar. Traditionally power systems were designed for fully dispatchable generating plant. However, these powers systems are under additional pressure due to the variable operational characteristics of RES. Consequently, capital investments in grid reinforcement, interconnection, additional gas generators and smart grid initiatives have been proposed and implemented. Moreover, an increased interest in energy storage technologies has evolved due to their various economic and operational benefits to power systems. Current compressed air energy storage (CAES) plants have shown economic feasibility and reliability. Thus, the main focus of this paper is to investigate and compare two scenarios; one without CAES and a second with CAES as an additional generator in the 2020 Irish power system using power systems simulation software PLEXOS.