Lithium battery energy storage power station operation and maintenance

Battery storage power stations are usually composed of batteries, power conversion systems (inverters), control systems and monitoring equipment. There are a variety of battery types used, including lithium-ion, lead-acid, flow cell batteries, and others, depending on factors such as energy density, cycle life, and cost.

Battery storage power stations require complete functions to ensure efficient operation and management. First, they need strong data collection capabilities to collect important information such as voltage, current, temperature, SOC, etc.

Guidelines under development include IEEE P2686 “Recommended Practice for Battery Management Systems in Energy Storage Applications” (set for balloting in 2022). This recommended practice includes information on the design, installation, and configuration of battery management systems (BMSs) in stationary applications.

There are a variety of battery types used, including lithium-ion, lead-acid, flow cell batteries, and others, depending on factors such as energy density, cycle life, and cost. Battery storage power stations require complete functions to ensure efficient operation and management.

Of even greater importance, deployments were beginning to grow faster in behind-the-meter residential and commercial applications. As such, a stronger focus on the safety of lithium-based storage systems took hold due to the fire potential of the batteries. figure 1.

This article recommends that the energy storage industry shift to a predictive monitoring and maintenance process as the next step in improving BESS safety and operations. Predictive maintenance is already employed in other utility applications such as power plants, wind turbines, and PV systems.