Commercial Battery Energy Storage & The Benefits

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15th Jun 2023

If you have a commercial solar PV system installed at your business premises, you are constantly creating clean, renewable energy to power your organisation. When you have created more energy than you consume, you can sell the excess energy back to the grid to make a profit, or you can keep the energy in a battery storage for future use.

What is commercial battery energy storage?

Energy storage, or battery storage solutions are battery units that are installed on-site to offer businesses a way to store and discharge electricity as required and also at specific times. Battery storage solutions operate independently from the grid and are capable of offering backup power when needed with the right energy management systems.

Commercial Battery Storage can also provide additional power to the site if the grid supply is insufficient in a function known as peak shaving. In peak shaving mode a certain proportion of the battery’s capacity is reserved to provide the extra power required, if the site maximum demand is in danger of being exceeded. This protects the DNO fuses, but can also reduce demand charges imposed by the energy company where the client may be charged for the over consumption.

The energy grid in the UK has major grid restraints and is struggling under massive demand, mainly from the rise of electric vehicles. It is becoming increasingly difficult to connect bigger systems to the grid, which is resulting in energy outages for companies reliant on the grid. By having an on-site energy storage system, you are always connected, and  have excess energy to use if you should ever need it. This gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your business is safe from a potential outage , and will always be up and running, no matter what. Investing in this type of energy security is a great message to send to stakeholders and shareholders.

The primary benefit to the business will be to optimise the self-consumption of the energy being generated by the solar PV installation. Every kWh of energy stored in the battery can be valued at the same cost that would have been incurred in deriving the energy from the grid. Once the initial investment of the battery is covered, the energy stored will go straight to the business bottom line profits.

Benefits of Commercial Battery Storage

• Reinforce or reduce your electrical requirements
• Generate revenue by offering grid services
• Provide backup power in case of an outage, avoiding disruption
• Capture and store excess energy from your solar panels, saving the energy for future use
• Help your business to reach Net Zero
• Provide an uninterrupted power supply to your business (UPS)
• Improve your ESG score due as your business strives to become self-sufficient
• Facilitate time of use grid purchasing during cheaper off-peak times, reducing the cost of your business energy bills

How to integrate your solar panel system with a battery storage solution

If you have an existing solar PV system or are installing a new system, battery storage is set up to monitor the grid for excess energy using current transformers and an energy meter. When there is excess energy about to be exported to the grid, the current transformers “see” this and the battery management system (BMS) will turn on the inverters to charge the battery cells. When current transformers “see” energy being imported from the grid, the BMS instructs the inverter to discharge to supply the load instead of the grid. This way the solar PV generation self consumption is maximised and grid consumption reduced.

Battery units can also be installed as a standalone product, independent of a renewable energy source and used to store cheaper energy from the grid during lower cost periods and discharge during peak times to avoid higher demand charges. The most efficient way to use them, however, is when paired with a custom-designed  commercial solar PV system.

The systems we install are all built to our customer’s power requirements, ensuring the use of all energy produced is fully utilised.

Tesla Powerwall Commercial Battery Energy Storage

For smaller businesses, we recommend that businesses use the Tesla Powerwall battery storage to store on-site renewable energy for on-demand use. With up to 13.5kWh of storage per unit and the capability to deliver 5kW of continuous power per unit, the Tesla Powerwall offers exceptional value for money and a great option for smaller businesses

The Tesla Powerwall comes packed with industry-leading technology, making it completely automated. It therefore requires no maintenance, and will automatically update over time. Once installed and operational, you don’t have to think about your external battery storage: it will just work. The Tesla Powerwall is also weather-proof, cost-effective and has a long life span, making it the ideal investment for your battery storage requirements.

As the first installers of the Tesla Powerwall in the UK, we are experts in the Tesla battery storage system, and are proud to serve this quality product to our customers.

Intilion Commercial Battery Energy Storage

Intilion are our recommended battery storage provider for medium to large scale commercial installations with storage capacity from 154 to 616 kWh and inverter power up to 400kVA from their Scalestac system. The Scalestac system can be installed within the site building if there is sufficient space or built into a containerised system.

They also offer a slightly smaller unit with 73kWh nominal capacity and inverter power between 25-68.5 kVA called the Scalebloc. These smaller units can be connected with up to 16 in parallel to create a large system. The Scalebloc is fully outdoor rated with its own air conditioning system and communications. The Scalebloc can be deployed in any location to provide extra power to EV charge points where the grid supply is limited.

Interested in a commercial battery energy storage solution? Get in touch!

If you have any further questions, or are interested in discussing your options with us, do not hesitate to contact us. We are more than happy to discuss your options with you to help you make an informed decision.