| 9 A complete lifecycle solution • Full system responsibility from design to implementation • Project and interface management in one hand • Unique safety concept, UL/IEC certified • Guaranteed system performance Business_North.indd 1 16/2/2024 10:42:23 am The power grid needs exibility and capacity. The need to balance the variations of demand and supply increases with the growing penetration of variable, non-dispatchable renewables. In addition, sources like wind and solar put some challenges to electricity grids, both in terms of operational management and grid stability. Meanwhile, power systems also require su cient capacity at peak demand to guarantee electricity supply. The need for capacity reserves is heightened due to the unpredictable nature of renewables. Traditionally, exibility and capacity reserves are provided by fast-reacting resources like combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT). Battery Energy Storaage Systems (BESS) o er a greener replacement to fossil-fuel based resources. While their role was mainly focused on ancillary services in early development, the latest state-of-the-art BESS are designed to stack multiple functions over di erent time constants, helping to balance supply and demand, tomanage grid capacity and stability and to ensure security of supply. As we all work towards Net Zero, they play a critical role in capturing and valuing precious zero-carbon electricity which otherwise risks being curtailed – at an economic and environmental cost. Increasing digitalization Modern BESS are also getting digitalized, enabling real-time system management. This improves e ciency while reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Cloud data management interfaces provide remote monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) and control over all operational parameters of their system. With Saft’s I-Sight system, the digital platform monitors performance in real-time to ensure the BESS delivers on contract speci c KPI’s. The platform will alert of any deviations, enabling immediate response. It is also now possible to resolve most issues at a distance, thanks to remote diagnostic and recon guration tools. Scaling up faster As larger systems (over 100 MW) are getting common, su cient space becomes a challenge. BESS energy capacity per container has increased, facilitating a smaller system footprint. For example, Saft’s new containers, Intensium Shift, have increased from 2.3 MWh to 3 MWh. This is provided by greater energy per module and an enhanced system design. Advancements in control One challenge that comes from larger and longer duration systems is to avoid multiplying power conversion systems (PCS) which required the conversion of DC energy in multiple containers into AC. Saft developed the Cube control system that accurately manages up to eight containers in parallel. This enables the design system architectures based on the largest, cost-optimized PCS systems available on the market. The enhanced energy density of the container building blocks, combined with advanced controls and a space-saving plug-and-play installation, is game-changing. All in all, this means the industry can now deliver utility-scale BESS for up to eight hours of energy shifting, all while halving the oorspace and installation time. The tide is now turning. As we integrate more and more renewables, BESS are not only e cient alternatives to fossil-based exibilities, but also crucial enablers to capture, store and deploy that energy when needed. Otherwise, we risk wasting energy – an ever precious resource in today’s world. The global energy challenge makes a strong case for battery energy storage
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=