Strategic Advancement in Energy Storage to Support Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A strategic pilot project between Avangrid, Inc. and Tyba, an energy analytics platform, has been successfully completed to enhance Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) modeling and deployment strategies. This initiative directly supports the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). By leveraging advanced analytics to identify optimal locations for energy storage assets, the project provides a scalable framework for strengthening energy infrastructure, accelerating the clean energy transition, and mitigating climate change.

Project Overview and Alignment with SDGs

H3: A Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17)

The collaboration between Avangrid, a major energy utility, and Tyba, a specialized technology firm, exemplifies a strategic partnership (SDG 17) aimed at deploying innovative solutions for sustainable development. The project combined Avangrid’s extensive operational scope with Tyba’s advanced analytical capabilities to address critical challenges in the energy storage sector.

H3: Core Objectives for Sustainable Infrastructure

The primary objectives of the pilot project were designed to build a foundation for resilient and clean energy systems, in direct alignment with SDG 7 and SDG 9.

• Enhance BESS Modeling: To develop sophisticated models for both standalone and hybrid storage assets.
• Improve Revenue Forecasting: To create more accurate financial projections, thereby de-risking investments in clean energy infrastructure.
• Identify Optimal Siting Locations: To strategically place storage assets where they can provide maximum grid support and financial return, ensuring the efficient use of resources.
• Build Internal Expertise: To foster the skills necessary to navigate the evolving U.S. energy storage landscape and drive future innovation.

Methodology and Technological Innovation

H3: Scope of Analysis

The project’s methodology involved a comprehensive analysis leveraging Tyba’s simulation platform. Key parameters included:

1. Geographic Scope: The simulation covered approximately 2,400 distinct locations.
2. Market Coverage: The analysis spanned seven U.S. regional grid operators and independent system operators.

H3: Advanced Analytics for Clean Energy and Resilient Infrastructure (SDG 7 & SDG 9)

A key innovation was the application of new pricing metrics to estimate BESS revenue by analyzing daily electricity price volatility. Tyba’s platform enabled Avangrid to screen for optimal conditions, directly supporting the development of resilient and technologically advanced energy infrastructure (SDG 9). This analytical rigor is essential for making clean energy more affordable and accessible (SDG 7).

H3: Simulation for Climate Action (SDG 13)

The platform allowed for extensive operational simulations under various market conditions, contributing to climate action strategies.

• Market Scenarios: Simulations used both historical and projected electricity price data to model future performance.
• Operational Strategies: Hundreds of simulations were run to fine-tune battery charging and discharging strategies across real-time, day-ahead, and ancillary services markets.

This optimization ensures that BESS assets can be deployed to maximize their effectiveness in balancing the grid, which is critical for integrating intermittent renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (SDG 13).

Outcomes and Contributions to Sustainable Development

H3: Strengthening Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities (SDG 9 & SDG 11)

The project’s findings provide Avangrid with an enhanced understanding of where BESS can deliver the greatest return on investment and grid benefit. This strategic intelligence is fundamental to building resilient infrastructure (SDG 9) that can support the growing energy demands of sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) while improving energy reliability.

H3: Accelerating the Transition to Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7)

By demonstrating how to identify the most profitable locations and operational strategies for BESS, the pilot project helps accelerate the deployment of energy storage. This is a critical enabler for SDG 7, as energy storage is necessary to:

• Integrate higher shares of variable renewable energy like wind and solar.
• Improve grid stability and reliability.
• Ensure a consistent and affordable supply of clean energy.

Conclusion: A Replicable Framework for Grid Decarbonization

The Avangrid-Tyba pilot project serves as a powerful model for how targeted technological partnerships can advance the Sustainable Development Goals. By using data-driven analytics to optimize BESS deployment, the initiative creates a clear pathway to enhance the financial viability and operational effectiveness of energy storage. This framework is essential for scaling the infrastructure required to achieve comprehensive grid decarbonization, supporting global climate targets (SDG 13) and the transition to a sustainable energy future (SDG 7).

SDGs Addressed in the Article

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – The article’s core subject is the development of battery energy storage systems (BESS), which are essential for ensuring a stable supply of clean and renewable energy.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The partnership focuses on investing in innovative technology (Tyba’s platform) to build and enhance critical energy infrastructure (BESS).
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – By improving the reliability of the energy grid and enabling the integration of more renewables, the project contributes to creating more sustainable and resilient energy systems for communities.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article explicitly mentions “grid decarbonization” and the “clean energy transition,” highlighting that BESS is a key technology for mitigating climate change by supporting the shift away from fossil fuels.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The entire initiative described is a strategic partnership between two private sector entities, Avangrid and Tyba, to achieve sustainable development objectives.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

1. Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • Explanation: The article discusses BESS, a technology critical for managing the intermittency of renewable energy sources. Tyba’s mission statement directly supports this, noting that “profitable renewable energy investments are essential to ensure the clean energy transition.”
2. Target 7.b: By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all.
   • Explanation: The project’s goal is to “identify potential locations for siting storage infrastructure” and support Avangrid’s work in “expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects,” which directly aligns with expanding and upgrading energy infrastructure.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

1. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being.
   • Explanation: The article states that “battery storage will become increasingly critical for reliable energy supply.” The project uses an “energy analytics and optimization platform” to improve the siting and operation of this infrastructure across “seven U.S. regional grid operators.”
2. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
   • Explanation: The adoption of BESS technology, as detailed in the article, is a direct move towards cleaner technology. The goal of “grid decarbonization” mentioned by Tyba is a clear indicator of making the energy industry more sustainable.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • Explanation: While the article focuses on corporate strategy, Avangrid’s investment in BESS is a direct response to and integration of broader climate goals, described as “helping the U.S. meet its energy needs” within the context of a “clean energy transition.”

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • Explanation: The article is centered on the “strategic pilot project” and partnership between Avangrid and Tyba. It highlights how they “collaborated closely through weekly working sessions” to achieve shared goals in the energy storage sector.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Implied Indicators for SDG 7 & 9

• Number of potential sites identified for BESS: The article mentions that the project focused on “approximately 2,400 locations in seven U.S. regional grid operators,” which serves as a direct indicator of progress in planning for new infrastructure.
• Capacity of operating energy storage: Tyba’s experience optimizing “over 2GWh of operating storage” is mentioned as a credential, implying that the total gigawatt-hours (GWh) of storage planned or deployed is a key metric of success.
• Return on Investment (ROI) and Revenue Forecasting: The pilot aimed to “improve revenue forecasting” and identify where BESS could provide the “greatest return on investment.” The use of “new pricing metrics to estimate battery energy storage systems revenue” is a specific tool used for this measurement.

Implied Indicators for SDG 9 & 11

• Grid Reliability and Resilience: The ability to simulate BESS operations in “ancillary services (back-up power) markets” is an indicator of the system’s contribution to grid stability and resilience, which is crucial for sustainable communities.

Implied Indicators for SDG 13

• Progress toward Grid Decarbonization: While not quantified in the article, the stated goal that “profit maximization and grid decarbonization go hand-in-hand” implies that the deployment of these BESS projects is a measure of progress towards climate action.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cleantechnica.com