Assessment of grid-scale energy storage potential within the MISO footprint

Current state legislated renewable portfolio standards (RPS) within the MISO footprint equate to an average requirement of approximately 13 percent of generated electricity by 2025 to come from renewable sources, primarily from wind (which requires an additional 16.2 GW of wind to the existing 10 GW). Typical wind patterns produce higher energy at times when electricity demand is low. Wind generation is also variable and has to be balanced with other resources in order to maintain system reliability. As significant amounts of variable generation resources are added to the transmission grid, the system complexities associated with balancing generation and demand increase. This paper explores grid-scale energy storage potential within the MISO footprint when large amounts of variable generation are added to the system.