Electricity and Control July 2024

COVER ARTICLE

BESS is on everyone’s lips and with good reason

FEATURES: · Control systems + automation · Drives, motors + switchgear · Measurement + instrumentation · Safety of plant, equipment + people

L ance Dickerson, MD and co-founder of REVOV, says high voltage (HV) battery energy storage systems, commonly referred to as BESS, which drastically improve the power reliability prospects for businesses, have been around for some time, but there is a lot of talk about the technology and we can expect to see a massive increase in BESS installations over the coming months and years. If we consider the unreliable distribution network, it is no sur prise the battery industry is seeing a surge in HV inquiries from critical players in agriculture, manufacturing, property develop ment, residential and commercial property management, and even the education sector. Recently the City of Johannesburg announced load reduc tion to protect the city’s electricity infrastructure from collapse. Businesses across sectors in the economy realise they must take control of their own energy security and they are coming to terms with the fact that renewable energy storage is a far more viable, and reliable, option than internal combustion generators. Access to markets such as the EU will also become increas ingly difficult and restrictive unless businesses, industries, and countries comply with ever stricter carbon targets. A business cannot assume it will always be able to sell a product in the EU if it is made or farmed on the back of internal combustion engines or coal power stations. It is abundantly clear that the perfect storm of unreliable elec tricity supply together with economic and social factors have

combined to create an environment for HV BESS systems to become almost synonymous with electricity security in South African industry. The technology and benefits of HV BESS have evolved to a point where the systems are applicable

and scalable across sectors, making them suitable for larger scale applications in industrial, commercial and utility settings. Leading suppliers are able to build modular systems, allowing businesses to scale up their investment as needed. Businesses have different motivations for investing in BESS, but they all hinge on energy security with cost savings front and centre. Beyond this, in a utility setting, BESS systems store the energy generated from solar panels and in some instances, tur bines, which can be fed into the grid when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Modern, modular systems include local and remote monitoring of specific battery telemetry, ranging from individual per-cell visibility, all the way up to data relating to each battery string. Comparing this type of technology to the hope and a prayer that municipalities will miraculously fix crumbling infrastructure overnight, it is understandable why HV BESS is on everyone’s lips. REVOV is a leading supplier of 2nd LiFe and LiFePO4 bat teries in sub-Saharan Africa, for both large-scale industrial and residential applications. □

A containerised HV battery energy storage system.

For more information contact REVOV. Tel: +27 (0)10 035 6061 Visit: www.revov.co.za

BESS installation at Inyati Lodge.

JULY 2024 Electricity + Control

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