The Importance of Battery Energy Storage Systems in Renewable Energy

What we commonly refer to as Energy Storage is the storage of energy for use when needed. There are many methods and sources of energy storage, with the most popular including batteries, hydropower, compressed air, hydrogen and methane. For this article, we will focus on Battery Energy Storage Systems(BESS).

What is BESS?

With the current changes in the world’s environment and the reduction of non-renewable energy sources, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are becoming more and more popular. However, renewable energy sources cannot provide uninterrupted power like fossil fuels. For example, solar energy only works on sunny days and wind energy only works when there is wind. The secret to the ability of such energy sources to provide power in rainy or windless conditions lies in battery energy storage systems (BESS).

BESS can be used in a variety of renewable energy systems. For example, in wind energy systems, BESS can store excess energy generated at high wind speeds and release that energy at low wind speeds. In solar energy systems, BESS can store excess energy generated during the day to power homes and businesses at night.

The role of BESS in renewable energy

The role of battery energy storage systems in renewable energy is to help solve the problem of intermittent energy supply. By storing excess energy, the BESS can smooth out the peaks and valleys of renewable energy generation and provide a stable source of electricity. This has become important, especially as more and more renewable energy sources are being used by humans, and how to ensure an uninterrupted energy supply has become the number one issue.

One of the major advantages of BESS is that they can help reduce the need for fossil fuel-based peaking power plants. For example, during the hot summer months, when air conditioning is on the longest during the day and electricity prices are at their highest, we can use the energy stored in the BESS to meet the peak demand for electricity. Peaking power plants is expensive to build and operate, and fossil fuels usually powered them, which inevitably increases the price of electricity. By using BESS to store excess renewable energy and release it in high demand, the need for these peaking plants can be reduced, along with the monetary and environmental costs.

The Future Development of BESS

Besides helping solve the problem of intermittent energy supply, BESS can also help improve the efficiency of renewable energy systems. By storing excess energy and releasing it during times of high demand for electricity, BESS can help reduce the need to transmit energy over long distances. This can help reduce energy losses and improve the overall efficiency of the system.

With the increasing use of clean energy, BESS plays an important role. Except the mainstream wind and solar energy today, we are constantly exploring the feasibility of other renewable energy sources, which also places higher demands on BESS. In the future, the proportion of fossil fuel use will gradually decrease, and BESS will definitely shine in the future as an excellent match for renewable energy.