What do you need to know about energy storage?

Energy demand and generation profiles, including peak and off-peak periods. Technical specifications and costs for storage technologies (e.g., lithium-ion batteries, pumped hydro, thermal storage). Current and projected costs for installation, operation, maintenance, and replacement of storage systems.

Are energy storage systems safe?

Within a given technology (e.g., lithium ion), there can be large differences in system performance based on the specific cell chemistry. For all of the technologies listed, as long as appropriate high voltage safety procedures are followed, energy storage systems can be a safe source of power in commercial buildings.

Can energy storage be a single high-level resource?

This report summarizes over a decade of experience with energy storage deployment and operation into a single high-level resource to aid project team members, including technical staff, in determining leading practices for procuring and deploying BESSs.

What should NREL consider when testing energy storage systems?

Photo by Owen Roberts, NREL Considerations for energy storage system testing include the following. If cost-justified by a large purchase, consider qualification testing of battery systems. Include test conditions in specifications for battery O&M diagnostics and testing.

Who should oversee energy storage projects?

A qualified professional engineer or firm should always be contracted to oversee any energy storage project. This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.

Do energy storage products need periodic maintenance?

The requirements for periodic maintenance for energy storage products should be identified by the OEM (IEEE 2010). In settings where predictive analytics maintenance is economical, guidance should also be available from the manufacturer that identifies methodologies for assessing when a product may be approaching a failure mode.