Breaking down what a BESS is and does
We have all heard about green energy and going net zero, but what exactly does this mean and what role do battery storage technologies play in achieving net zero goals?
Battery energy storage systems, or BESS, offer an alternative to the use of fossil fuels with renewable energy.
These devices:
*use batteries to enable energy from renewables, like solar and wind, to be stored and then released when customers need power most, even if the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, by meeting demand spikes with supply. *manage fluctuations in variable demand and supply scenarios ( this is challenging when the target is to achieve net zero carbon production, by phasing out fossil fuel sources of power back-up)
*Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, are currently the dominant storage technology.
* “Smart” tech – Intelligent battery software uses algorithms to coordinate energy production and computerised control systems are used to decide when to keep the energy to provide reserves or release it to the grid. Energy is released from the battery storage system during times of peak demand, keeping costs down and electricity flowing.
* the best is yet to come! According to Dewald le Grange, Technical Director at Sara Incorporated, Energy Storage is in the infant stage of its life cycle. The stage in the life cycle might be compared to that of a Nokia 1010 in 1995. Energy Storage will see the same dramatic development in the next ten years as cell phones and computers between 1995 and 2015.
* what’s cooking? The landscape is still due to change dramatically. Li, or lithium-ion, technologies will have stiff competition in the next five years from innovative new technologies that will change the current landscape. Hydrogen, seen as the Holy Grail of Storage, is set to change the landscape drastically.
Where the market is pushing for cells that deliver longer cycle life, we will see new non-Li-Technologies, which will be much more environmentally friendly, non flammable, and save during recycling.
Many years ago, all soft drink bottles were made of glass. But aluminium cans have changed that landscape, with 45 Billion cans recycled every year, representing more than 90% of the new cans on the shelves in some countries. When battery cells reach that point where we can do easy and safe mass recycling, the current Li Technologies that boast 4000 to 6000 cycles will be replaced with cells of a fraction of the cost that can be recycled in a short time, delivering the same quality cells like the aluminium can is doing today for soft drinks.
SARA Incorporated will be part of this journey, creating new opportunities, products for our clients and jobs in our communities.
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