What’s inside a battery energy storage system?
Battery energy storage systems are made up of thousands of individual lithium-ion battery cells, which are grouped in modules and installed on racks inside of durable, weatherproof metal containers (also called enclosures). The enclosures are typically 20 to 50 feet long, five to ten feet wide, about ten feet tall and may be clustered in groups of four. The batteries and control systems are accessible from the outside via a cabinet-style design. Each container is typically capable of storing three and a half to five or more Megawatt-hours (“MWh”) of electricity.
Photo above: Construction personnel check system performance during commissioning.
How does it work?
Typically, a battery connects to the wider grid at an electric substation. The power used to charge the batteries is generated by whatever power plants are injecting electricity to the grid when the battery charges, regardless of specific technology or fuel source. When the batteries discharge, or put power back onto the grid, it is delivered to any and all customers using power at that time, whether they are residential, commercial, or industrial users.
For more information on battery energy storage, please visit the EPA site on battery storage.
How does it improve the delivery of electricity?
A battery storage facility provides increased energy capacity, peak shaving, voltage support, and frequency regulation—all of this means that a battery storage facility has the power to make the grid more efficient and may defer the need for ratepayers to fund new transmission and generation infrastructure.
At times when there is more power on the grid than is needed, a battery will charge. And at times when there is not enough electricity on the grid, a battery will discharge. This helps keep prices stable and the electric grid operating at optimal efficiency.
Batteries also work to keep the grid functioning at the correct frequency and voltage. The more the grid fluctuates, the more you get things like light flickers. While light flickers might not be too big of a problem at home, they represent a major issue for industrial facilities and can be responsible for shutting down whole production lines.
At times when there is more power on the grid than is needed, a battery will charge. And at times when there is not enough electricity on the grid, a battery will discharge. This helps keep prices stable and the electric grid operating at optimal efficiency.
Batteries also work to keep the grid functioning at the correct frequency and voltage. The more the grid fluctuates, the more you get things like light flickers. While light flickers might not be too big of a problem at home, they represent a major issue for industrial facilities and can be responsible for shutting down whole production lines.