Selection and Dimensioning of Energy Storage Systems for Standalone Communities: A Review

The European Union’s energy and climate policies are geared on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and advancing sustainable energy, focusing on a faster propagation of renewable energy sources to decarbonize the energy sector. The management of locally produced energy, which can be implemented by a microgrid capable of either being linked to the main grid or operating independently, is equally crucial. Additionally, it seems that electricity storage is the only practical way to manage energy effectively within a microgrid. Energy storage is hence one of the main technological parameters upon which future energy management has to be based. Especially during crisis periods (such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the ongoing energy crisis), storage is a valuable tool to optimize energy management, particularly from renewables, in order to successfully cover demand fluctuation, hence achieving resilience, while at the same time reducing overall energy costs. The purpose of the paper is to analyze and present, in brief, the state-of-the-art of the energy storage systems that are available on the market and discuss the upcoming technological improvements of the storage systems and, in particular, of batteries. The analysis will focus on the storage systems that can be used within a stand-alone community such as a microgrid, but not limited to it. In the analysis, short- and long-term storage options are discussed, as well as varying storage capacities of the different technologies. The analysis is based on contemporary optimization tools and methods used for standalone communities. Understanding the state-of-the-art of energy storage technology is crucial in order to achieve optimum solutions and will form the base for any further research.