Potential and challenges of Battery Energy Storage(BESS) : The case of Poland

Sammanfattning: According to the “Draft development plan for meeting the current and future electricity demandfor 2023-2032” developed by the Polish Transmission System Operator PSE, the most appropriate solution is to significantly expand the possibilities of energy storage, due to its role as a factor improving the power balancing with the increase of wind farms and photovoltaic (PV) sources. Poland has changed the rules governing the energy industry to encourage energy storage. Few barriers have already been eliminated like double charging of transmission fees, but there is still a big novelty to come and that is the reform of the balancing market. With the introduction of this change many more revenue streams should be available that are already present in other EU countries. The objective of this thesis is to provide a high-level overview of the Polish electricity market, identification of existing legal barriers, assessing the role of battery energy storage systems (BESSs) participating in distinct applications, and evaluating a possible business case considering a foreseeable market evolution. The scope of the study is limited to only one storage option Li-Ion standalone project of 10MW/40MWh at HV Point of Connection. In literature review, there does not seem to be a study on storage in the context of Poland. Hence, identifying the research gaps, an analysis of standalone storage system for grid applications in Poland is performed. In this study the NPV, IRR and PP for different scenarios of available revenue streams is determined to compare current and future business models for techno-economic feasibility for BESS in the context of Poland. Results of the study are as following. In the future scenario under the assumed dispatch strategy and participation in CM, FCR, aFRR availability markets as well as aFRR energy market and wholesale arbitrage, the overall project IRR is around 18% with a payback time of around 5 years. Provided the number of new accessible revenue streams BESS can present a strong business case in Poland.