Applications
What energy storage is actually being bought for
The same hardware serves very different business cases. The application determines sizing, duty cycle and which vendors are credible.
A system sized to shave a monthly demand peak looks nothing like one sized to ride through a utility outage, even when the nameplate capacity matches. Duty cycle drives degradation, degradation drives warranty terms, and warranty terms drive the real cost of the asset.
Each page here starts from the commercial objective and works backwards to the technical requirement — the order procurement actually needs, rather than the order vendor datasheets present.
What this section covers
Peak shaving and demand charges
Reducing billed demand is the most common behind-the-meter business case. Whether it pays depends entirely on the tariff.
In research
Solar-plus-storage
Pairing generation with storage changes both the interconnection process and the incentive treatment. AC- versus DC-coupled is the first fork.
In research
Data center backup power
Where batteries supplement or displace traditional UPS and generator plant, and what the reliability requirement demands.
In research
Microgrids
Storage as one component of a system that can island from the grid. The controller and switchgear matter as much as the battery.
In research
Utility-scale storage
Front-of-meter projects answer to interconnection queues, market participation rules and a different diligence standard.
In research
Pages are published as each one is researched and sourced. We do not put up an outline and fill it in later — an empty page that ranks is worse than no page at all.