Scientists highlight the importance of energy storage to help manage energy market volatility and the transition to renewables
Europe’s increased need for energy independence while keeping climate mitigation on track will require a substantial expansion of subsurface energy storage, according to a new paper co-authored by a HyStorPor researcher.
The recent sharp rise in gas prices, accelerated by the war in Ukraine, has highlighted the volatility of the energy market and Europe’s need for independence from imports from politically sensitive areas, finds the Viewpoint paper, published in ACS Energy Letters. Achieving such independence, while simultaneously meeting climate commitments, will inevitably require a substantial expansion of subsurface energy and by-products storage options.
“Storage site assessment and detailed asset planning on an international scale is crucial and needs to commence today,” it says.
Although Europe has become increasingly dependent on gas imports, gas storage capacity has not been expanded in recent years, the paper finds. As a result, most European countries lack sufficient gas storage facilities to cope with winter demand, making them sensitive to market volatility.
Dr Johannes Miocic of the University of Groningen, who led the research, said: “Increasing subsurface storage is crucial to make Europe energy independent and to reach climate mitigation targets.”
Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Utrecht, and from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) co-authored the analysis of Europe’s subsurface storage landscaple. The team is calling for urgent international collaboration to determine regions’ suitability for different storage technologies to optimise use of Europe's subsurface storage resources.
Geological storage of natural gas is used to balance supply and demand in the energy system, allowing the buffering of price hikes by supplying gas stored during times of low demand, such as in summer.
Moreover, demand for storage capacity is set to rise due to increased deployment of intermittent renewable energy. When demand is low, wind and solar power can be converted into hydrogen, stored and drawn down when required. Storage is also critical because, to achieve net zero, there is also a need to capture and store CO2.
Co-author Dr Niklas Heinemann, a HyStorPor researcher at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Analysis and management of the subsurface for an efficient international implementation of the various low-carbon technologies will be a key challenge for the next 30 years.”
