The Benefits of an Energy Storage System

Energy storage systems provide a range of practical solutions to address the intermittency limitations of renewables. They can combat a variety of energy issues including peak shaving, load shifting, emergency backup and various grid services.

The most common type of ESS is the battery. Modern batteries are largely maintenance-free and can be configured in many ways to meet your needs. They contain multiple swappable battery modules, onboard sensors and control components.

Benefits

Energy storage systems (ESS) are a key element of the modern electric grid. ESS batteries charge during off-peak periods using clean power, and then deliver electricity at peak demand times, replacing expensive fossil fuel generation and helping to alleviate strain on the transmission and distribution system.

In addition to enhancing grid reliability and resilience, ESS is a powerful tool for reducing commercial and industrial energy costs by lowering demand charges. Demand charges, which are based on the 15-minute period of highest electricity consumption throughout the day, can account for up to 50 percent of a facility’s total energy bill. ESS, when paired with intelligent software, can help reduce demand charges by capturing and discharging energy at the right time to shift a building’s load from high-demand to non-peak hours.

Energy stored by ESS can also replace the need for expensive fossil fuel peaker plants, which typically Energy storage system operate only during limited time periods in response to very high electricity demand such as during heat waves. These plants emit a lot of air pollutants, and are often located in communities with already poor public health conditions. ESS can replace these dirty peaker plants and accelerate the full decarbonization of the grid.

In California, you can receive additional incentives for installing energy storage systems through the Self-Generation Incentive Program, which offers rebates on battery backup power and other forms of distributed resources. The benefits of implementing energy storage at your site are clear, but making the decision to own the technology or to contract for it can be daunting for some facilities.

Installation

An Energy storage system can help reduce the cost of a solar installation by providing resilience against peak electricity demand, and by enabling you to feed back electricity to the grid for a fee. It also allows businesses to take advantage of time-of-use tariffs.

It’s important to get quotes from several installers on the costs of your system and ask questions about their calculations. You should also check that your installer is signed up to RECC or MCS as these schemes have stringent consumer protections.

An ESS can be packaged from the manufacturer as an all-in-one unit or built on-site using components like batteries, inverters, and power conversion equipment. Packaged EESS can come with a specific rating for your PV installation and may be specified for a certain battery size, making it important to select the correct unit.

Batteries use the electric and magnetic properties of plates to store energy. This can be used to provide quick, short bursts of power or over a longer period of time, depending on the application.

High-voltage power electronics like switches and inverters allow electric power to be controlled rapidly over long distances. These systems offer a range of benefits for the energy sector including improved power quality and achieving a more stable distribution of renewables to microgrids. c3controls offers the world-class products required to build these systems with ease.

Maintenance

Energy storage systems need to be regularly maintained Energy storage system in order to ensure that they are operating at optimum levels. This will help to keep power flowing seamlessly across the grid, whilst also allowing businesses to generate revenue from the system. It will also help to reduce the impact of any potential power cuts as business processes can continue without disruption.

This is because an Energy storage system will provide instantaneous backup energy to support critical processes. This will help to prevent any downtime from unexpected power cuts, while also reducing reliance on traditional non-renewable energy sources.

It is essential that maintenance of an Energy storage system is carried out in a safe and appropriate manner. This is particularly important when dealing with lithium batteries, as they can be very dangerous if they are not handled correctly.

Ideally, the battery should be located within an appropriately constructed building, which is conditioned to maintain a low temperature throughout the summer. It should be protected by fire and smoke detection systems that offer remote alert and annunciation to offsite personnel and the local fire brigade. The BESS should also be well ventilated to remove potentially explosive gases generated during charging cycles.

In addition, the battery storage system should be connected to an appropriate data collection and analysis system. This should provide the user with a range of information, from raw communication data to status and performance metrics. This will allow for the improved standardisation of operation and maintenance practices, and help to inform predictive efforts for future safety and reliability.

Disposal

Energy storage allows energy consumption to be separated in time from energy production, reducing imbalances. An ESS can store electrical or thermal energy. There are many different technologies used to accomplish this, including chemical (battery), electrochemical (supercapacitors) and mechanical. Thermal storage can be as simple as a hot water tank or as sophisticated as molten salt or ice. Mechanical storage systems use the kinetic energy of rotation or gravity to store power, such as flywheels and compressed air systems. Underground pumped storage, superconducting magnets and hydrogen storage are other emerging technologies.

Like any other plant, an ESS must have a decommissioning plan. However, due to the relatively new nature of utility-scale ESS using lithium batteries, specific guidelines for decommissioning these systems are not yet in place. It’s crucial that a reputable company with the proper licensing and insurance to handle ESS decommissioning and disposal be chosen.

C3controls has world-class products and services required to manufacture the electronics and control systems of an energy storage system. Surge Protective Devices keep sensitive components safe from lightning strikes and over voltages, contactors offer a way to switch a system on or off and energy meters provide the data needed to determine the total energy consumed and stored. Terminal Blocks, Wire Duct and DIN Rail make for easy wiring of components during assembly. Pilot devices provide human machine interface for monitoring and interaction, and fuse holders are essential for integrating safety into the design of an Energy storage system.