What is a battery energy storage system?

A battery energy storage system (BESS) is an electrochemical device that charges (or collects energy) from the grid or a power plant and then discharges that energy at a later time to provide electricity or other grid services when needed.

What is a battery energy storage system (BESS)?

Batteries are installed as battery energy storage systems (BESS), where individual battery cells are connected together to create a large energy storage device (Box 1). The size of a BESS is defined by its power capacity and its stored energy capacity (Box 2).

Which batteries are used in energy storage?

Although recent deployments of BESS have been dominated by lithium-ion batteries, legacy battery technologies such as lead-acid, flow batteries and high-temperature batteries continue to be used in energy storage.

Why is battery energy storage important?

Battery energy storage is becoming increasingly important to the functioning of a stable electricity grid. As of 2023, the UK had installed 4.7GW / 5.8GWh of battery energy storage systems, with significant additional capacity in the pipeline. Lithium-ion batteries are the technology of choice for short duration energy storage.

How long does a battery storage system last?

For example, a battery with 1 MW of power capacity and 4 MWh of usable energy capacity will have a storage duration of four hours. Cycle life/lifetime is the amount of time or cycles a battery storage system can provide regular charging and discharging before failure or significant degradation.

What are the performance and operational parameters of battery technologies?

Performance and operational parameters of battery technologies The key performance parameters for battery technologies for BESS are safety, cost and cycle life. These three parameters are crucial when assessing the viability of a particular battery technology.