Commercial Battery Storage Smarter energy consumption for your business

With solar energy and renewable energy technology being at the forefront of many conversations in commercial industries, it is important to understand how energy technology has evolved, and how it can benefit your business. 

Commercial battery storage is primarily used for storing excess solar generation in order to optimise your business’s energy independence from the grid. It does this by continually buffering the supply of energy being generated on the roof to the actual demand of the building. The two loads rarely match at any given time, so batteries are essential for system optimisation.

Take Advantage of Off-peak Energy Storage

If your solar panels are not producing excess energy, or if you do not have solar installed, energy can still be drawn down from the grid and into your energy storage system at a cheaper rate during off-peak periods, which keeps overall business energy costs down. A suitable off-peak tariff will be required to achieve this, but is well worth obtaining as in winter months when the mornings are dark, it is an excellent way to extend the cheaper off-peak energy further into the day. 

Another function of battery storage known as ‘Peak Shaving’ provides extra power to the business if the grid supply is insufficient. It may be that the business energy demand has increased and that a grid supply upgrade is not possible or too expensive to consider. In these circumstances a battery can be deployed to charge up during quiet energy demand times and then deliver the extra power to the site when the peak demand exceeds the grid supply. The battery achieves this by monitoring the grid supply with an energy metre. Even if the grid supply is sufficient, businesses are sometimes charged extra for high demand during busy grid times, a battery can shave these high demand peaks by providing the power instead and mitigate the demand charges the energy company is seeking to apply.

Avoid disruption from Power Black-outs & Brown-outs

Commercial battery storage is also a way to build up a reserve of energy that you can tap into should there be a power outage or an issue with the energy grid. Think of it as a ‘backup safety net’ for your business. When you install solar panels you can divert excess energy into your solar battery storage solution, ensuring you are prepared should there be an outage. This means you can rest assured knowing your business will stay operational in the event of a black-outs (unforeseen power cut) or brown-outs (planned power shut-downs).

The current energy grid as it stands in the UK is under immense strain, and has been failing more frequently than before. It is likely that power outages and cuts will become the norm in the near future. Commercial battery storage systems can provide some important additional working time through a grid outage and the length of this will vary depending on the site load and stored energy available. It will be possible to shutdown less important loads in order to extend the battery run time and maintain business critical functions.

There are two main types of battery storage solutions we recommend to commercial businesses.

Intilion: Battery storage for larger businesses

Intilion is our recommended battery storage provider for medium to large scale commercial installations with storage capacity from 154 to 616 kWh and inverter power up to 400kVA from their Scalestac system. The Intilion Scalestac system can be installed within the site building if there is sufficient space or built into a containerised system.

They also offer a slightly smaller battery storage unit with 73kWh nominal capacity and inverter power between 25-68.5 kVA called the Scalebloc. These smaller units can be connected with up to 16 in parallel to create a large system. The Scalebloc is fully outdoor rated with its own air conditioning system and communications. The Scalebloc can be deployed in any location to provide extra power to EV charge points or general site loads where the grid supply is limited.

Download the INTILION Battery Storage UK brochure for more information

Tesla Powerwall for Business: Battery storage for smaller companies

Tesla Powerwall Battery Storage is an energy storage system with a usable capacity of 13.5 kilowatt-hours. Up to 10 Powerwalls can be installed and linked in parallel to cater for greater energy needs (though one is adequate for the average home with standard energy needs, it’s enough for 580 cups of tea).

An in-built inverter sits on top of the battery pack within the Powerwall to convert the stored DC power from the battery into AC power to supply your home. The inverter can output the resulting AC power at 7kW peak or at a 5kW continuous rate. Again, Powerwalls can be stacked to deal with greater energy requirements.

In charge mode, the inverter converts AC to DC power to be stored in the battery. . The usable capacity of the battery is 13.5 kWh’s with 100% depth of discharge available, not all manufacturers are as honest with their battery stats and many only have a 90-95% depth of discharge Tesla Powerwall uses lithium-ion battery technology. Relative to other types of rechargeable batteries this means particularly high energy density (the amount of energy stored relative to battery size) and increased safety.

This is also the only liquid-temperature controlled battery on the market adding to battery life and efficiency. Being fully liquid managed means the battery operates at the optimum temperature regardless of external temperature.

We are approved installers for both Tesla and Intilion business energy storage solutions. We are the 1st UK company to partner with Tesla, as well as being the first to partner with Intilion. Call us on 01622 832 834 to discuss your commercial battery storage requirements and claim your energy independence. Our team have extensive knowledge and can guide you through everything in layman’s terms, including how to finance your commercial solar PV and battery storage solution.