South Staffordshire Council
South Staffordshire Council were looking to install a battery energy storage system that provided them with site-wide UPS resilience
Battery Energy Storage
The increase in renewable generation, and the focus on achieving net zero carbon, is making Battery Energy Storage an essential technology for all commercial and industrial organisations.
Battery energy storage, sometimes referred to as BESS, is a versatile and flexible technology. Depending on your business’s energy goals, there are a number of ways it could provide you with a competitive edge.
How battery energy storage can help you
A battery energy storage system allows for greater control and flexibility of your electricity use. A Powerstar system is a particularly sophisticated version of the technology as it is capable of being installed “Behind-the-Meter”, that is to say on your own site, and can be used for a variety of functions in parallel, such as:
- Power resilience through Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
- Maximising on-site generation, by storing energy for use at different times
- Accessing grid services to sell electricity back to the National Grid and generate revenue
- Saving money by shifting when you use energy from the grid
- Buffering large loads, such as Electric Vehicle (EV) charging, from the grid so that they can be more easily and cheaply connected, and combining all of these to turn your site into a smart microgrid
Battery energy storage technology is most impressive where it is deployed to manage a combination of these activities simultaneously.
How does battery energy storage work?
In simple terms, battery energy storage works by storing electricity so it can be used when required or most beneficial. When deployed with sophisticated control software, this can be automated and use artificial intelligence to learn what generation and use needs to be prioritised.
Whilst the applications of grid-scale battery energy storage are widely discussed, it can provide significant benefits when implemented commercially, Behind-the-Meter (BtM). It can be deployed for a business in this way, but still remains connected to the electricity grid. This provides an integrated energy management and microgrid solution capable of revolutionising the way your organisation uses energy. Battery energy storage can support your entire site should you experience a power disruption.
For more technical information about battery energy storage view our technical specifications below.
How to implement battery energy storage
In its simplest form, a battery energy storage system can be installed on your site as a standalone technology. The most common application is to store energy generated by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, for use at times when they are not generating.
However, when implemented with multiple technologies, battery energy storage can maximise the effectiveness of on-site generation while also bolstering EV charging capabilities, accessing grid services to generate revenue, improving energy efficiency, and helping to reduce your electricity bills. This requires a microgrid control system to manage the various power flows.
If your business is assessing its net zero carbon targets, battery energy storage with an integrated microgrid control system will sit at the heart of your technology mix to transform your site into a smart microgrid.
Which sectors benefit most from battery energy storage?
Battery energy storage can make sense for any electricity user, even domestic. However, the business case becomes clearer as the site becomes larger and the electricity demand increases. Wherever there are multiple power flows it is always worth considering a storage system.
Sectors with high electricity consumption, a requirement for power resilience, with on-site generation, complex or sensitive business operations, and a need for flexibility in their energy use will benefit from this technology. For that reason, battery energy storage can be an immensely powerful tool for businesses in manufacturing, healthcare, retail distribution, defence and warehousing.
For more information about Battery Energy Storage and how it could revolutionise your organisation’s energy use, contact us today
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