What is a battery energy storage system?
With the shift towards electrification of transportation and renewable energy, battery energy storage systems are becoming a vital part of the new energy ecology.
But what is a battery energy storage system?
A battery is a unit for storing electrical energy
There are different batteries, but lithium-ion batteries are used for most EVs and energy storage. These kinds of batteries have various properties, like high power-to-weight ratio, specific energy, and energy density, that make them suitable for use in applications that require charge/discharge cycles.
The lifecycle of EV lithium-ion batteries
EV batteries usually have four stages, the first being the raw materials phase, the second being the battery manufacturing stage. The battery then operates in an EV until it no longer has the required capacity. At the end of life, the batteries traditionally have been thrown away.
With a new focus on a circular economy, the trend towards repurposing batteries to a second lifecycle in storage units and then recycling them to take advantage of and not waste the raw materials of the batteries, is growing.
New batteries used directly in storage units are often not made to endure the rapid charge/discharge cycles of an EV and therefore are not as robust as a second life EV battery is, therefore, repurposed batteries are ideal to use in battery storage systems.
Repurposing batteries to energy storage systems
Batteries for EVs must be taken out of the vehicle and tested to ensure that the battery is viable for further use. ECO STOR has developed a technology that makes it possible to assess used batteries without manioulating the batteries physically in any way. The technology in question is in the form of a box containing technology that connects to the battery´s CAN-bus, thereby enabling communication with the battery´s management system (BMS). This allows all data about the battery to be withdrawn and analysed.
An inverter is attached to the battery. The inverter converts the battery´s current to alternate current, making it ready for connection to buildings and the grid.
The box communicates with the grid and can be programmed to store or use energy at favorable times of the day. This communication also makes it possible to use the battery energy storage systems as fast frequency regulators for the grid, to help alleviate problems with keeping the grid within the frequency range of 50Hz, and also with load levelling within a specific building.
Scalable solutions
Battery energy storage systems can be as little as one battery, to be used for residential storage. They can also be scaled to the size needed and organized into containers with cooling systems in place for grid-based energy storage parks.
Changing the future
In a world with increased need for electrical power, increased challenges with capacity/peak demand, and keeping a steady current in the grid, combined with more and more power coming from renewable sources, there is an increased demand for energy storage. Battery energy storage systems offer a solution to many of the challenges, at the same time changing the way we generate, deliver and consume energy.
The future is electric, join us in our quest to make it so!
