7 times there's a business case for battery energy storage

If you are adding high load items like heat pumps or EV chargers, you’re significantly increasing your energy consumption – and most likely creating peaks in demand. A battery energy storage system can be the most cost-effective way of meeting that extra need while also smoothing out variations in demand.

If you do not have spare capacity available from your grid connection, you will be asked to pay your distribution network operator (DNO) to upgrade it. This can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds and take many months as there is already a long waiting list – you’re not the only facilities manager looking to increase their electricity use. A BESS is a much more affordable alternative than a DNO upgrade.

Some sites might find their solar arrays are producing energy when they can’t use it but also do not have enough energy to meet peak demand. For example, if your building is operational from 8 am to 6 pm, then in spring and summer your rooftop PV is generating energy before and after that time period – and that energy might be going to waste. A battery energy storage system enables you to store that energy for later use. Another great example is for premises where electric vehicles return to base at the end of the day. A BESS enables you to use that spare energy to recharge those EVs overnight.

In the same way that your building has a maximum import capacity for how much energy you can draw down from the grid, most sites also have a maximum export capacity for how much energy you can sell back to the grid. If your on-site solar generates more surplus energy than your export capacity can handle, that energy will go to waste. Again, if there is available export capacity available, you can pay for an expensive DNO upgrade, but a BESS is a more affordable option with a better return on investment.

If you’re on a variable tariff, and there is a big difference between what you pay during peak and off-peak periods, a BESS can help reduce your energy costs. The battery energy storage system can charge using electricity during the off-peak tariff period and store it and provide electricity to the site for use during peak tariff periods.

Even if you don’t have solar on-site, you can still use a BESS to cut your carbon footprint. There are certain times when energy from the grid has lower emissions as there is more renewable generation in the mix. A battery energy storage system has the intelligence to wait for these periods and fill up its batteries with this greener energy, for use during periods when grid electricity has a higher carbon cost.

If a continuous energy supply is mission-critical to your business, BESS can provide a reliable backup.