Battery storage technologies are essential to speeding up the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy. Battery storage systems will play an increasingly pivotal role between green energy supplies and responding to electricity demands.
Battery storage, or battery energy storage systems (BESS), are devices that enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when the power is needed most. Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, are currently the dominant storage technology for large scale plants to help electricity grids ensure a reliable supply of renewable energy.
Why is battery storage important and what are its benefits?
Battery storage technology has a key part to play in ensuring homes and businesses can be powered by green energy, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind has stopped blowing.
For example, the UK has the largest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world, but the ability to capture this energy and purposefully deploy it can increase the value of this clean energy; by increasing production and potentially reducing costs.
Every day engineers worldwide must match supply with demand. Managing these peaks and troughs becomes more challenging when the target is to achieve net zero carbon production. Fossil-fuel fired plants have traditionally been used to manage these peaks and troughs, but battery energy storage facilities can replace a portion of these so-called peaking power generators over time.
The UK government estimates technologies like battery storage systems – supporting the integration of more low-carbon power, heat and transport technologies – could save the UK energy system up to £40 billion ($48 billion) by 2050, ultimately reducing people’s energy bills.
Prescott Hartshorne, a Director at National Grid says: “Storage enables further renewable generation, both from an operational and reliability perspective. It’s also a key piece of our utility customers’ ongoing evolution and transition to renewables.”
How exactly does a battery storage system work?
The operating principle of a battery energy storage system (BESS) is straightforward. Batteries receive electricity from the power grid, straight from the power station, or from a renewable energy source like solar panels or other energy source, and subsequently store it as current to then release it when it is needed. When combined with software, a BESS battery becomes a platform that couples the energy storage capacity of batteries with the intelligence needed to deliver advanced management of energy consumption by harnessing AI, Machine Learning and data-driven solutions. This makes batteries a tool in the effort to offset climate change, because they enable a more flexible way of using energy that lets the user adapt to dips and peaks in demand and supply.
Overall, battery energy storage systems foster the deployment of renewable sources, thereby helping reduce carbon emissions and even deliver lower costs for businesses and households.
