Tractable lithium-ion storage models for optimizing energy systems

Abstract Model-based optimization of energy systems with batteries requires a battery model that is accurate, tractable, and easy to calibrate. Developing such a model is challenging because electrochemical batteries exhibit complex behaviours. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a family of battery models that have different trade-offs between accuracy and complexity. We derive our models from a recently developed battery model, which is accurate and easy to calibrate but is not tractable. We evaluate our models against the commonly-used benchmark tractable model using a set of experiments that characterize the cycling behaviour of two Lithium-ion battery chemistries, as well as dynamic charge/discharge experiments. We further compare the models for two typical energy system applications, solar farm firming and grid regulation, to show the impact of the choice of battery model on the results. Finally, we evaluate the increase in accuracy when battery models are calibrated with the proper operating range.