Five of the big signs that indicate your company is ready to move to low carbon, sustainable energy use with BESS
Nigel Dent, Head of Sales at Connected Energy, shares five of the big signs that indicate your company is ready to move to low carbon, sustainable energy use with BESS.
Firstly, what are battery energy storage systems? We answer this question in more detail in our related blog post.
“Battery energy storage systems (or BESS as they are sometimes known) are systems that can capture and store energy – either from the grid or from renewables such as solar and wind power – and then use that power when it is needed. Their use on a commercial scale has grown over the last few years, primarily due to two key reasons: the proliferation of solar PV for commercial premises and the growth of electric vehicles which has led to an increased electricity demand needed for charging.”
You can charge your battery at cheaper times of the day, store it and use it from the BESS rather than the grid at more expensive times – the cost benefits to those paying upwards of £100k PA cannot be ignored.
You could even sell back your stored energy if you don’t need it yourself, providing an excellent return on investment via grid connection and as an energy sales asset. You see an ROI in around five years depending on your consumption patterns. Sooner perhaps if the price of fuel continues to rise.
New equipment bumping up energy consumption may mean you face grid constraints. It costs thousands to install a new transformer and or new cables to increase your capacity, but a BESS means you can store energy when your own demand is low, to use when your demand is high – bingo – your original grid connection is sufficient, and you have created some headroom.
A BESS is cheaper to install than a new or increased grid connection and can be used to lower peak consumption from the grid. Additionally, if you use a Connected Energy BESS, it utilises second life car batteries – typically from a Renault – which is both cheaper to install and maintain long term than a BESS with brand new batteries.
Sign up to our newsletter for Connected Energy, second life battery and battery storage updates and industry insights relevant to you.
Companies need to demonstrate real carbon impacts without greenwashing. Environmental, social and corporate governance is a big issue among shareholders, and they want to see proof. But you still need energy to cope with production and/or processes.
With a BESS you can buy and store electricity from renewable sources. Embracing stored energy from renewables is going to be one of the biggest solutions to achieving net zero goals because it replaces the traditional grid source which is supported by the consumption of fossil fuels. With a BESS you could store solar energy from your own panels.
This gives an immediate and real reduction in carbon emissions which you can report.
Connected Energy BESS units are made from second life car batteries, so you are also giving a second life to used batteries which is good for the planet. To put it into context, there are an estimated 5.2 million electric vehicles on the road at present, with a predicted 34.7 million by 2030.
Second life BESS presents an opportunity to ease the demand for energy storage to decarbonise the grid and promote the value of the circular economy within the projected rise in EV car sales going forward.
If you have the space to accommodate the units, the combination of solar panels and BESS can secure you affordable power at a stable cost and in a stable supply.
Using a BESS with solar panels increases the utilisation of the renewable energy generated. By storing the generation in the battery rather than exporting back to the grid you can increase your solar utilisation on site and thus offset carbon intensive grid electricity at the same time.
It’s particularly suitable for large commercial facilities with constant 24/7 energy demand that the battery can provide from the solar once the sun has gone down. Renewable energy-enabled storage solutions, such as BESS with solar panels, are also often supported and incentivised by governments through grants, subsidies, or lower tax rates.
We all know there’s growing disquiet about carbon offsetting. If your business wants to reduce the amount it offsets, more efficient energy storage must be a prime consideration. And if you want to do things differently and have more control of the process yourself, then a BESS from Connected Energy is a certainly a solution to consider.
By controlling your own ‘carbon credit trail’ you can show that you are using a second life batteries (supporting the circular economy) whilst using and storing renewable energy. Not only that, but you can keep a close eye on the information behind the meter to see and therefore manage and control how you use energy.
For more information on project costs or fully financed option for Connected Energy’s E-STOR battery energy storage systems, contact nigel.dent@c-e-int.com.
Get in touch with our team to discuss whether battery energy storage can work for your business, and how we can offer a free feasibility study.
