Storage applications for smartgrids

In the framework of the transition towards the new paradigm of electricity grids, the exploitation of intrinsic energy storage or deliberately installed storage systems (either thermal or electric) plays a major role in enabling the actual controllability of the various sources and loads connected to the system. Controllability, for different purposes, is the key factor which characterises a Smartgrid compared to a traditional energy system. This paper presents a systematic approach to the services that a storage system is able to provide in an electric power system and shows how such systems can be actually designed and built. In several research projects the University of Pisa installed storage devices for different purposes showing the effectiveness of the contribution they give. This paper also shows how particular loads, which are connected to the grid through a power conditioning device, can provide important ancillary services for the grid.