SOLUTIONS | BESS

logo

BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTIONS

As the world shifts towards more sustainable and efficient energy solutions, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are emerging as a crucial tool for industrial customers. These advanced systems help manage energy costs and provide a range of strategic benefits that enhance operational resilience and sustainability. 

battery storage image
solar battery storage
battery

BESS | What & How

What is Battery Energy Storage?

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are advanced power management solutions that capture and store electrical energy for use when it is needed most. Think of it as a large-scale rechargeable battery that intelligently manages your facility’s energy consumption, reduces costs, and provides backup power when the grid fails.

How BESS Works in Simple Terms

  1. Charge. The system charges during off-peak hours when electricity is cheapest, or from on-site solar/wind generation
  2. Store. Energy is safely stored in high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, ready for deployment
  3. Deploy. Stored energy is released during peak hours, high-demand periods, or power outages
  4. Save. You reduce demand charges, avoid peak rates, and eliminate costly power interruptions

BESS captures electricity during low-cost periods or from renewable generation and discharges it during high-cost periods or when backup power is needed. The core components include:

What Are The Strategic Advantages of Battery Energy Storage Systems?

TPI Efficiency can help businesses with on-site Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) by leveraging its comprehensive energy management services. While TPI Efficiency primarily focuses on energy consulting, procurement, and sustainability solutions, its expertise can be adapted to support businesses in integrating BESS into their energy strategies. Here’s how TPI can assist:

1

Future-Proofing:

Positions your facility as grid-responsive and sustainable, preparing you for evolving energy market conditions.

2

Enhanced ESG Reporting:

Provides data and insights on energy consumption patterns, enhancing your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.

3

Managed Energy Costs

BESS offers industrial customers a comprehensive solution for managing energy costs, enhancing operational resilience, and achieving sustainability goals. By leveraging these systems, businesses can not only reduce their environmental footprint but also improve their bottom line through strategic energy management and revenue generation.

BESS | Components

  • Battery Modules:
    Typically lithium-ion batteries arranged in racks.
  • Power Conversion System: Converts AC to DC for storage and DC to AC for discharge.
  • Battery Management System:
    Monitors cell health, temperature, and state of charge.
  • Control System:
    Optimizes charging/discharging based on programmed algorithms.
  • HVAC:
    Maintains optimal temperature for battery performance and safety.

Benefits & Results

What are the Key Financial Benefits of Battery Storage?

Demand Charge Reduction

Save 20-40% on electricity bills. Demand charges can account for 30-70% of your total electric bill. BESS reduces peak demand by discharging stored energy during high-usage periods, lowering these costly charges.

Typical savings: $50,000-$500,000+ annually

Energy Arbitrage

Buy low, use high. Charge batteries when rates are lowest (nights/weekends) and use that stored energy during expensive peak periods. Perfect for facilities with time-of-use rates.

ROI typically: 3-7 years

Backup Power Protection

Eliminate costly downtime. Power outages cost industrial facilities an average of $50,000 per hour. BESS provides instant backup power without the need for diesel generator maintenance.

One prevented outage can justify the investment.

Renewable Integration

Maximize solar/wind value. Store excess renewable energy for use when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Increases self-consumption from 30% to 80%+.

Boost renewable ROI by 40-60%

Grid Services Revenue

Get paid by utilities. Many regions offer incentive programs that pay you for providing grid services, such as frequency regulation or demand response.

Additional revenue: $10,000-$100,000+ annually

Sustainability Goals

Meet ESG targets. Reduce carbon footprint, demonstrate environmental leadership, and meet corporate sustainability commitments while saving money.

Reduce CO2 by 50-200+ tons annually

BESS | Solutions

BESS: Common Applications & Use Cases

Peak Shaving

Automatically discharge batteries during your facility’s highest usage periods to reduce demand charges. The system learns your usage patterns and optimizes automatically.

Load Shifting

Shift energy consumption from expensive peak hours to more affordable off-peak periods. Ideal for facilities with predictable daily usage patterns.

Emergency Backup

Provide seamless power during grid outages for critical operations. Unlike generators, batteries start instantly with no delay or maintenance requirements.

Renewable Smoothing

Store excess solar/wind energy and release it during production lulls, ensuring a consistent power supply and maximizing the value of renewable investments.

Power Quality

Stabilize voltage and frequency, protecting sensitive equipment from power fluctuations and reducing equipment failures and maintenance costs.

EV Charging Support

Buffer the demand spike from electric vehicle charging stations, preventing demand charge penalties while supporting fleet electrification goals.

Benefits & Results

What are the Key Benefits of Battery Storage?

Cut Peak Demand Charges:
By shifting energy usage from high-cost to low-cost periods, BESS can reduce peak demand charges by 30-70%. This precision energy shifting targets your highest-cost energy periods, significantly saving costs.

Create Revenue Through Grid Services:
Earn ongoing income by participating in frequency regulation, capacity, and demand response markets. This diversifies your revenue streams and enhances your facility’s financial stability.

Ensure Production Continuity:
Maintain critical operations during grid outages with battery backup. This ensures your production lines remain uninterrupted, protecting sensitive equipment and avoiding costly downtime.

Maximize Self-Consumption of On-Site Renewables: 
Store excess solar or wind generation instead of selling it at low wholesale rates. This maximizes the use of your renewable energy sources, reducing reliance on the grid and lowering energy costs.

thermal energy
battery

Hedge Against Volatile Energy Costs: 
Control when and how much you pay for electricity by storing energy during off-peak hours and using it during peak hours. This strategy helps mitigate the impact of volatile energy prices.

Substantial Incentives and Tax Benefits
Leverage the Investment Tax Credit, accelerated depreciation, and utility rebates to offset the initial investment in BESS. These incentives can significantly enhance the financial viability of your project.

 

Achieve Rapid ROI
With falling battery prices, BESS systems can deliver a return on investment as short as 3-5 years. This rapid payback period makes BESS an attractive investment for industrial facilities.

Seamless Integration with Existing Systems:
Modern BESS solutions integrate seamlessly with your current infrastructure and control systems, ensuring minimal disruption during installation and operation.

EIA: Energy Storage for Electricity Generation

Electricity Explained

An energy storage system (ESS) for electricity generation uses electricity (or some other energy source, such as solar-thermal energy) to charge an energy storage system or device, which is discharged to supply (generate) electricity when needed at desired levels and quality. ESSs provide a variety of services to support electric power grids. In some cases, ESSs may be paired or co-located with other generation resources to improve the economic efficiency of one or both systems.

Types of energy storage systems for electricity generation

The five types of ESSs in commercial use in the United States, in order of total power generation capacity as of the end of 2022 are:

• Pumped-storage hydroelectric
• Batteries (electro-chemical)
• Solar electric with thermal energy storage
• Compressed-air storage
• Flywheels

Other Types of ESSs

Other types of ESSs that are in various stages of research, development, and commercialization include capacitors and superconducting magnetic storage.

EIA grid

Hydrogen, when produced by electrolysis and used to generate electricity, could be considered a form of energy storage for electricity generation. Thermal ice-storage systems use electricity during the night to make ice in a large vessel, which is used for cooling buildings during the day to avoid or reduce purchasing electricity when electricity is usually more expensive. 

Electricity generation capacity of energy storage systems 

Two basic ratings for ESS electricity generation capacity are: 

  1. Power capacity—the maximum instantaneous amount of electric power that can be generated continuously and is measured in units of watts (kilowatts [kW], megawatts [MW], or gigawatts [GW]) 
  2. Energy capacity—the total amount of energy that can be stored in or discharged from the storage system and is measured in units of watthours (kilowatt-hours [kWh], megawatt-hours [MWh], or gigawatt hours [GWh])

Every dollar saved on energy boosts your profit margin.

TPI Efficiency’s Energy Savings Calculator shows exactly where your business can reduce costs—without disrupting operations or requiring upfront investment.

Get your custom benchmark report and see how optimization could improve your ROI immediately.

Calculate your opportunity today and uncover your hidden savings potential.