Summary and Findings

The reference case study demonstrates the significance of load-shifting - especially highlighted when the results are compared for present and future scenarios.

The 12% GHG avoidance for the generation only scenario drops to about 6% in 2030 as the grid itself gets cleaner and the contribution of onsite renewable generation to GHG avoidance diminishes because it provides a benefit during the same hours as when the grid is cleaner; the 18% GHG avoidance with the 2 MW battery bank increases to 32% in 2030. This trend, illustrated in Figure 6, is amplified even further with a 4 MW bank with 22% avoidance in 2020 increasing to a massive 48% in 2030.

Although increased battery bank sizes only have limited impact on GHG avoidance in the present-day scenario - with avoidance increasing from 18% with 2MW to just over 22% with a 4 MW battery bank - GHG avoidance increases sharply for the 2030 scenario, from 32% with 2 MW to 48% with a 4 MW battery bank. As the future grid gets cleaner with increased renewable penetration during daytime hours, strategies that allow for optimal load shifting from polluting early mornings and late afternoons to cleaner mid-day periods will become exceedingly important. In this case, a 24% renewable energy offset results in a potential 48% GHG emissions avoidance.

Figure 6:

GHG emissions avoidance potential of an optimally designed generation plus load shifting strategy with different battery storage capacities for present and future scenarios.