Integrating batteries with large-scale wind power: a Canadian case-study

Abstract: Canada is a country with a mostly fossil free electricity generation mix, with more than 80% of electricity being produced from hydropower, nuclear and other renewables. The province of Alberta, on the other hand, still has a long way to go in making its electricity less fossil-fuel based, and for that, it aims to invest in renewables in the coming years. This increased deployment of renewables, an intermittent energy source, could mean a good investment opportunity for batteries in the province as well. This thesis investigates the different revenue possibilities of a battery operating in Alberta’s real-time electricity market, reserve market and in a combination of both markets. To understand how wind energy would influence such an operation, these strategies are then analyzed taking into account the wind generation’s annual variability for the charging of the battery. All of these strategies were fixed, meaning the battery had a fixed operation schedule for every day of the year. Lastly, this thesis analyzed an optimal battery operation, with access to perfect information and possibility to optimize revenues between the aforementioned markets.