Electricity and Control June 2023

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Utility-scale battery storage: addressing the baseload challenge

Utility-scale battery storage is growing fast, with the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimating it will reach 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2025. This remarkable growth in battery storage capacity is outpacing even the early growth of the US’s utility-scale solar capacity. Dwibin Thomas, Cluster Automation Leader at Schneider Electric, says it is a clear indication that utility scale battery storage is becoming the storage method of choice for developed countries such as the US. The benefit is that battery storage adds stability to variable renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are intermittent and provide electricity only in the right cir cumstances, when the wind is blowing and the sun shin ing. Batteries overcome this problem of intermittency by storing additional energy produced by renewables, to provide a stable baseload when energy resources such as the grid, solar or wind are not available. In South Africa, utility-scale batteries offer a suitable stable storage solution particularly as more independent power producers enter the market, providing renewable energy to increase available supply and alleviate strain on the traditional grid. Storage solutions such as lithium-ion batteries are es sential as part of the energy mix as the development of renewable energy generation plants increases. Battery storage mitigates intra-day and short-term imbalances in power generation to support grid stability. Looking at the practical application of utility-scale stor age, Thomas says it works on a similar principle as a do mestic system where a renewable energy source charges the batteries and the energy is stored for use at nights and/ or when the normal supply is offline, or supply is unstable. Utility-scale battery storage, like any residential sys tem, requires an energy management system (EMS) to provide insight into daily usage, provision, supply and other factors. It consists of hardware and software com

Dwibin Thomas, Schneider Electric.

ponents and may be more or less sophisticated to meet requirements. The hardware includes battery modules, battery racks, protection devices and inverters which convert the direct current (dc) of the battery into the al ternating current (ac) of the coupled power grid. The key software components are the energy man agement system (EMS), the battery management system (BMS) and a supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA). The EMS acts as a higher-level operating system that integrates to external systems and manages the response to changes in demand and supply. The function of the BMS is to monitor the performance data of the battery modules and to regulate their charging and discharging. The SCADA controls and monitors all the processes of the battery system in real-time while collecting data on the system’s performance, such as voltage, current, and temperature, and provides alerts if there are any issues. Thomas highlights a critically important benefit of bat tery storage – in that it can provide power to the grid in a matter of seconds, allowing for a seamless switchover between distributed energy resources and providing the stable supply users need. Combined with renewable energy generation, battery energy storage provides the stability of supply required to meet baseload demand. can evaluate their energy management performance and implement new measures to improve energy efficiency. Euca Technologies offers the Onset UX120-00M, a four-channel analogue data logger, to assist business es and help save time and frustration for many business owners in South Africa. The device can measure and monitor temperature, ac current and voltage, dc current and voltage, gauge and differential pressure, kilowatt consumption, compressed air flow, and more. Energy consumption data loggers can help businesses verify and improve energy efficien cy in their day-to-day usage by testing, measuring and analysing data in particular areas of high consumption. For more information contact Euca Technologies. Tel: +27 (0)12 362 3271 Email: peter@euca.co.za, visit: www.euca.co.za For more information contact Schneider Electric. Visit: www.se.com

Data loggers support energy efficiency

Supplier of monitoring and control equipment, Euca Technologies, offers energy data loggers to support energy monitoring and management for businesses in South Africa. The country’s continuing energy supply issues and rising energy costs affect the smooth operation of busi nesses and the facilities in which they work. The use of data loggers can help in identifying opportunities for en

The Onset UX120-006M energy monitor is available from Euca Technologies.

ergy saving, especially for those businesses that are using solar energy or electricity sup plied or supplemented by on-site generators. Peter van Zyl, Sales Director at Euca Tech nologies, emphasises the importance of moni toring energy consumption for businesses. By doing this, business owners and managers

16 Electricity + Control JUNE 2023