Battery Energy Storage Systems Complement the Proliferation of Renewables

According to Black & Veatch’s 2021 Electric Report, which surveyed more than 200 power industry sector stakeholders, integration of renewables is considered by industry leaders to be the biggest challenge currently facing the industry. One major cause of this concern is the intermittency posed by renewable generation sources. How does the power continue to flow to consumers when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing?

Battery energy storage systems (BESS), both short-and long-term, can help. In a recent article by Triple Pundit, Frank Jacob, technology manager for Black & Veatch, and Leslie Ponder, technology portfolio director for global distributed energy at Black & Veatch, weigh in on the abilities of BESS and what the systems have to offer to the future of the grid.

With the ability to save excess generated power for a time when demand is high, BESS has the power to maximize every megawatt of energy created by renewables. It can also offer resilience in the event of grid outages.

Given lithium-ion batteries are experiencing an ongoing drop in cost, the incentives for utilities to adopt BESS technology are strong. With significant Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provisions for energy storage and renewable energy technology, the United States will see a rise in adoption across the coming years.

Renewables will continue to proliferate, and with that BESS will gain popularity as a complement to wind, solar or other variable generation sources. As the power industry grapples with the integration of renewables into an already strained grid, those who adopt BESS will be better equipped to maximize use of generated energy and maintain power in the event of grid outage.