Description

Task 41 provides a comprehensive, application-oriented assessment of the economics of energy storage systems across technologies, sectors, and use cases. The main outcome of Task 41 is that the economic viability of energy storage cannot be assessed at the technology level alone, but only within specific applications, where technical requirements, revenue mechanisms, and system context jointly determine value creation.

To assess the economic efficiency of energy storage systems, three methods were developed in Task 41, which differ in their perspective and complexity. The first method compares the potential benefits and achievable revenues of an energy storage system with its costs. The benefits are calculated as the monetary value of all services that could theoretically be offered with this storage system. The revenues correspond to the total realised income from the operation of the storage system. The second calculation method considers the maximum acceptable energy storage costs for different applications and users. The economic assessment is based on the assumption that the cost of energy from storage must not exceed the cost of alternative energy supply. The third method comprises twelve steps and evaluates the economic efficiency of energy storage systems holistically and in detail. Based on the analysis of the specific application conditions, a techno-economic comparison of potentially usable energy storage technologies is carried out. The relevant players are then defined and their respective business models calculated.