Renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar resources, exhibit distinct traits of randomness, intermittency, and volatility. As the installed capacity of renewable energy continues to grow steadily, it exerts a substantial impact on the power grid. The inherent regulatory capacity of the power grid is severely insufficient to cope with this situation, thereby undermining the safe and stable operation of the grid.

Energy storage can be adeptly deployed on both the power generation side and the consumer side. It is capable of storing surplus photovoltaic and wind power resources, and through charging and discharging processes, it can effectively reduce fluctuations, smooth the power output, and enhance energy utilization efficiency. Moreover, it can efficiently regulate the variations in voltage, frequency, and phase within the power grid induced by new - energy power generation. This enables the seamless and reliable integration of wind and solar power into the grid. By increasing the proportion of new - energy power generation, energy storage plays a crucial role in maintaining the safety and stability of the power system.

In essence, energy storage serves as a viable solution for ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid. 

On the user side, the long - standing and real - world issue of mismatches between power supply and demand persists. The adjustments on the power supply side cannot fully adapt to the power demand, so demand smoothing on the user side is also a vital approach to alleviate this mismatch.

Firstly, to encourage demand smoothing, there is a certain arbitrage space in the price difference between peak and off - peak electricity prices in some regions. Installing energy storage on the user side not only offers economic incentives but also generates positive externalities. For example, commercial users can charge the energy storage devices during off - peak hours when electricity prices are low and then discharge them during peak hours, reducing their electricity costs while also alleviating the peak load pressure on the power grid.

Secondly, to achieve cost - effective and stable electricity consumption, the combination of distributed photovoltaics with energy storage and energy storage for backup power on the user side provides crucial supplements to the main power - supply mode of the power grid. These user - side energy storage applications can store excess electricity generated by distributed photovoltaics during the day for use at night or during power outages. This not only ensures the stable electricity use of users but also helps to balance the power supply and demand of the entire power grid.