Techno-Economic Assessment of the Optimal Energy Storage Mix and Utilisation in the UK by 2030

Arthur Deutsch

The rapid growth of intermittent renewable energy in the UK requires flexible and cost-effective electricity storage solutions to support grid stability, prevent curtailment and overall support the decarbonisation targets. This project assesses the optimal mix of electricity storage technologies in the UK from 2030 onwards under various scenarios. Using GAMS and data from ENTSO-E and NESO, it assesses multiple scenarios and sensitivities related to weather and fuel prices. The study aims to find a cost-efficient and resilient energy storage mix to enable a reliable and low-carbon energy system.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Richard Green (Business School)
  • Dr Iain Staffell (Centre for Environmental Policy)

Optimising Battery Parameter Estimation For New Cells at Beginning of Life Conditions

Dimitrios Kapetanakis

The project focuses on improving the accuracy of lithium-ion battery simulations by optimising electrochemical parameters of physics-based models under Beginning of Life conditions. Open-source Python libraries, PyBaMM and PyBOP, were used to develop a dynamic, user-friendly system that accepts basic inputs and automatically estimates key electrochemical battery parameters. This work contributes to the broader objective of accelerating energy transmission by enhancing the predictive capability of battery models in real-world conditions, supporting the development of more efficient and reliable energy storage systems for the low-carbon transition.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Gregory Offer (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Dr Mohammed Asheruddin Nazeeruddin (Mechanical Engineering)

Designing a Zero Degradation Battery for Energy Services

Emre Ozgul

The growing share of intermittent energy sources has increased demand for fast-responding, reliable energy storage systems to support grid flexibility. Among battery technologies, LFP cells are widely adopted due to their low cost and long cycle life. However, like all lithium-ion chemistries, they remain prone to degradation. Lithium iron oxide has emerged as a promising sacrificial lithiation agent to offset these lithium losses. By modelling this chemistry with grid-specific load cycles in PyBaMM library, key insights into degradation and commercial viability can be obtained.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Gregory Offer (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Dr Carlos Garcia (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Sunil Rawat (Mechanical Engineering)

Scenario Design and Carbon Footprint Assessment of Battery Energy Storage Systems in Indonesia

Jason Jimmy Amadeus Palenewen

Decarbonising power grids and integrating renewables are vital for reducing carbon impacts. Yet, inter-area oscillations and frequency deviations from load/generation shifts threaten system stability, risking outages. BESS advancements enable rapid damping, stabilising frequency and tie-line flows during disturbances. However, their environmental footprint is unclear. This thesis simulates BESS in a modified 39-bus system using DigSILENT PowerFactory, with cradle-to-grave LCA processed in Excel, quantifying emissions from manufacturing, operation, and decommissioning. It assesses trade-offs between system sizes and stability benefits, and carbon impact under varying conditions.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Anna Korre (Earth Science and Engineering)

A Techno-economic Assessment of Energy Storage Potential in the Arctic

Mallory Snowden

Remote Arctic grids have a historical reliance on diesel power, which generally results in high electricity tariffs and government subsidisation.  As both renewable energy and geopolitical interest in the Arctic grow, an increase in energy storage capacity will be necessary to manage intermittency and reduce diesel usage.  However, existing storage modeling tools used by decision-makers often overlook critical climate-related factors or are limited to a narrow set of technologies. This research employs a technoeconomic model to assess how extreme cold temperatures impact the levelised cost of storage (LCOS) across a broad spectrum of storage technologies and applications.

Supervisor(s)

  • Dr Jacqueline Edge (University of Birmingham)
  • Dr Evangelos Kallitsis (Mechanical Engineering)

Augmenting grid infrastructure with stationary storage for electrification

Ng Wei Jie

To enable Electric Vehicle (EV) uptake, the electricity infrastructure would need to be able to withstand the rapid increase in high current demand from households. At transmission level, there is sufficient capacity, but this is not necessarily the case for certain local distribution networks especially in older and/or more rural areas. This research project focusses on analysing these pinch points and forecasting potential demand to understand how to augment the existing infrastructure with stationary storage to facilitate electrification efficiently and minimising costly infrastructure upgrades.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Gregory Offer (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Dr Derek Siu (Mechanical Engineering)

Quantitative investigation of the climate impact of battery energy storage systems (BESS)

Nicholas Spicer

Grid-connected lithium-iron-phosphate Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are currently the fasted growing electricity storage technology, with storage key to enabling the roll out of variable renewable energy generation such as wind and solar.  This project explores the climate change impact of BESS, specifically their CO₂ equivalent emissions during manufacture, operation and decommissioning. As the operation phase is found to be the most impactful life stage, the project focusses on it by studying BESS in Great Britain. It shows how time of charge/discharge and location of the BESS significantly affect climate impact, and how modifying these can improve climate change impact.

Supervisor(s)

  • Professor Anne Korre (Earth Science and Engineering)
  • Professor Geoff Kelsall (Chemical Engineering)
  • Gabriel Yoong (Low Carbon Investment Management Ltd)
  • Amelia Walsh (Low Carbon Investment Management Ltd)

Techno-Economic Assessment of Large-Scale Thermal Storage for District Heating Networks

Tessa Hobdell

Decarbonising heat is a significant challenge, particularly in urban areas with concentrated heat demand. District heating networks (DHNs), when integrated with thermal energy storage (TES) offer a promising pathway to align heat supply with variable renewable electricity generation. This project explores how TES can be integrated into DHNs to enable affordable and low-carbon heat provision. Focusing on the German market, it develops an optimisation model to dispatch power-to-heat technologies and TES under varying electricity prices. The model supports the development of a robust business case by assessing system costs, emissions, and operational performance across different scenarios.

Supervisor(s)

  • Dr Koen Van Dam (Chemical Engineering)
  • Adrien Lebrun (Green Hedge DE)

Symmetric Sodium Ion Battery

Thomas Cizain

The surging demand for high‑density, low‑cost batteries for EVs and grid storage drives this project towards the creation of a symmetric sodium‑ion cell. Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ (NVP) cathode and anode are synthesised in one step, each particle wrapped in an ultrathin carbon shell that boosts conductivity while preserving the 3‑D Na⁺ network. Operando XRD techniques are employed to track the sodiation/desodiation mechanisms in both electrodes across C‑rates. Success with this twin NVP architecture will simplify design, yield a lower cost, longer-lived prototype and broaden the options of sustainable battery chemistries, allowing low-carbon energy storage to becomes a more attainable future.

Supervisor(s)

  • Dr Bidhan Pandit (Materials)
  • Dr Chun Ann Huang (Materials)