Facts about battery energy storage systems

A battery energy storage system: what is it?

Accelerating the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy requires battery storage technology. For meeting electricity demand and producing green energy, battery storage systems will become increasingly important. Battery storage, also known as battery energy storage systems (BESS), enables energy from renewable sources like solar and wind to be stored and released when a customer needs power the most.

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric cars and other mobile devices, are now the most common storage technology for large-scale facilities that help electrical grids ensure a steady supply of renewable energy. Working with BentiEnergy, a provider of battery storage solutions for public, private, and institutional structures, has begun integrating this technology with heavy equipment.

 

What are the advantages of battery storage and why is it necessary?

Homes and businesses can still be powered by renewable energy, in large part because of the battery storage system, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

The UK, for instance, has the most installed offshore wind capacity globally. The capacity to harness this energy and use it purposefully, however, might increase the value of this clean energy by boosting production and perhaps lowering costs.

Daily supply and demand balancing is a task for engineers at National Grid and in other power systems across the world. Managing these peaks and troughs becomes more challenging when the objective is to achieve net zero carbon generation by retiring fossil fuel plants that have historically been used as a backup to provide a steady, predictable supply of energy.

The UK government estimates that battery storage systems might reduce the cost of electricity for customers by as much as £40 billion ($48 billion) by 2050. Additional low-carbon power, heat, and transportation technologies can be integrated with these systems.

According to Ken-Ichi Hino, Director of Energy at National Grid Renewables in the US, “Storage enables higher renewable generation, both from an operational and reliability standpoint.” It is also an essential part of our utility customers’ ongoing transition to renewable energy. We anticipate having a lot of success integrating our solar projects with energy storage in the future.

 

What specific tasks are carried out by battery storage systems?

Batteries that are used in toys for your children or that you keep in your kitchen drawer are not as complex as battery energy storage devices. A battery storage system can be charged with electricity produced utilizing renewable resources, such as wind and solar energy.

Intelligent battery software is used to coordinate energy production, and computerized control systems are employed to decide when to hold the energy for reserves or release it to the grid. Energy from the battery storage system is drained during times of heavy demand to keep prices down and the electricity flowing.

Although the large-scale battery storage technologies covered in this article share the same fundamental operating principles as domestic energy storage systems.