Storage for an off-grid energy system at Hot Springs Cove

The advantages of adding vanadium-redox energy storage to a combined diesel-electric and renewable energy system for the off-grid community of Hot Springs Cove on Vancouver Island were analyzed. The hypotheses that a system can be designed to provide renewable energy at a per-kilowatt cost equal to or less than the cost of dieselelectric energy, and that energy storage increases the amount of renewable energy available at this cost were tested. The renewable energy source was chosen based on data for wind and run-of-river energy availability. Models for the energy source, energy storage system and energy consumption were established and used to synthesize projections of the system's performance. A cost analysis was performed using savings from reduced diesel consumption to service the capital required to build the renewable energy and storage systems. It was concluded that only hydroelectric energy is viable, and that more of this energy can be extracted with heat storage and dynamic load control than with vanadium-redox storage.