Battery Energy Storage System

This chapter discusses the various technical components of battery energy storage systems for utility-scale energy storage and how these technical components are interrelated. The introduction lists the basic types of large-scale storage and how storage can be used to mitigate the variability associated with renewable generation. It also provides an overview of how to define storage applications as primarily “power” or “energy” based. A basic description of how battery energy storage works is provided with several examples to illustrate how battery energy storage can be used in large-scale applications. A brief discussion of the various battery chemistries that are suited to large-scale applications is provided, as well as guidance on what factors to look for when trying to select an appropriate chemistry for a given application. An overview of how the storage system’s power electronics work is followed by a more detailed description of possible power electronic topologies and power electronic controls that are used to ensure that the system can be properly integrated with the generation source and, if necessary, the load. Battery management and battery monitoring via the power electronic controls is discussed briefly. This chapter concludes with a detailed example of battery energy storage system integration that is summarized with data obtained in the field.