Meeting electricity demand during a crisis : Assessing the feasibility of battery storage as a path for municipalities to increase electricity resilience

Abstract: This bachelor thesis aims to investigate household electricity supply and demand during a crisis. Both quantitative and qualitative aspects of crisis preparedness and household electricity demand are considered. In this thesis, the subject is studied by conducting simulations of electricity consumption as well as retrieving theoretical framework and concepts from literature and interviews. Emphasis will be on how the cost of a lithium-ion battery storage, that supplies households with electricity during power outages, is affected by households’ behavioural patterns regarding electricity use. To estimate household electricity demand, data are utilized from a stochastic model which simulates household members electricity usage patterns. Three different scenarios are modelled, representing varying household electricity reliance, across different lengths of power outages. The first scenario illustrates households’ normal electricity demand. The second scenario represents a changed behaviour pattern leading to a reduced electricity demand. The third and last scenario concerns a case where households with adequate crisis preparedness are taken into account, resulting in a linearly scaled down electricity demand. Gaps in the distribution of responsibility between municipalities and households concerning crisis preparedness are brought up and discussed. The thesis highlights households with unique needs that risk not getting the support needed from the municipality in case of a crisis. The result shows that meeting the electricity demand for Knivsta urban area during a power outage by utilizing a battery storage would be very costly for the municipality. Despite the cost reduction from decreased electricity consumption, large investments are still required. A battery storage system on that scale might not be the only nor most optimal solution for crisis preparedness. Instead, opportunities are found by challenging prevailing norms of constant electricity supply and increased resilience among households. Lastly, possible solutions less costly for the municipality are presented.