As regulators incorporate safety regulations for energy storage deployment into new building regulations and safety standards, battery energy storage systems have clearly become the mainstream of energy storage technology.
The battery has been in use for more than 100 years since its invention, and solar power technology has also been used for more than 50 years. In the early stages of development of the solar industry, solar power generation facilities are usually deployed away from the grid, mainly for remote facilities and residential power supply. With the advancement of technology and the passage of time, solar power generation facilities began to be directly connected to the grid. Today, more and more solar power generation facilities are deployed in conjunction with battery energy storage systems.
As governments and companies in various countries provide incentives to reduce the cost of solar power facilities, more and more users are deploying solar power facilities to save electricity costs. Today, solar energy + energy storage systems have become an important part of the booming solar industry and are being accelerated.
Because the intermittent power supply of solar power generation will adversely affect the operation of the power grid, Hawaii does not allow new solar power facilities to send their excess power to the grid indiscriminately. The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission began restricting the deployment of solar power generation facilities directly connected to the grid in October 2015. The Commission has also become the first regulatory agency in the United States to take restrictive measures. Many customers operating solar power facilities in Hawaii have deployed battery energy storage systems to ensure that they store excess electricity and use it during peak demand, rather than sending it directly to the grid. Therefore, the relationship between solar power generation facilities and battery energy storage systems is now closer.
Since then, electricity rates in some states in the United States have become more complicated, partly to prevent the output of electricity from solar power generation facilities to the grid at inappropriate times. The industry encourages most solar customers to deploy battery energy storage systems. Although the additional cost of deploying a battery energy storage system will make the financial return of a solar power generation facility lower than that of directly connected to the grid, the battery energy storage system provides additional flexibility and control capabilities for the grid, which is becoming more and more important for enterprises and residential users. important. The signs of these industries are clear: energy storage systems will become an integral part of most solar power generation facilities in the future.
1. Solar power generation facility providers provide supporting battery products
For a long time, energy storage system providers have been behind to support the development of solar energy + energy storage projects, and some large-scale solar power facility installers (such as Sunrun, SunPower, and Tesla) have begun to provide themselves to their customers in the past few years. Battery products.
These companies said that with the significant increase in the market share of solar energy + energy storage projects, supporting the deployment of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems with good performance and long working life is more attractive to users.
When the major developers in the solar power field are involved in battery production, the marketing, information transmission and industry influence of these companies will increase the awareness of consumers, enterprises and governments. Their smaller competitors are also taking action to ensure that they do not fall behind.
2. Incentives provided by utility companies and policy makers
Since the utility company in California raised the industry-famous "duck curve" problem, the high penetration of solar power has increasingly affected the grid, and battery energy storage systems have become a potential response to the "duck curve" problem. solution. But it was not until some industry experts compared the cost of building a natural gas peaking power plant in Oxnard, California with the cost of deploying a battery energy storage system that utilities and regulators realized that battery energy storage systems are Cost-effective to offset the intermittent nature of renewable energy. Today, many state and local governments in the United States are incentivizing grid-side and consumer-side battery energy storage systems through measures such as the California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) and the New York State Mass Storage Energy Incentive Program.
These incentives have a direct or indirect impact on energy storage deployment needs. Just as government incentives for energy technology can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, this means that companies and consumers should actively accept this technology.
3. Release safety standards for battery energy storage systems
One of the main signs that battery energy storage systems are now mainstream energy storage technologies is to include them in the latest regulations and standards. The building and electrical specifications issued by the United States in 2018 include battery energy storage systems, but UL9540 safety testing standards have not yet been included.
After the industry manufacturers communicated and communicated with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the main maker of US safety regulations, the NFPA855 standard was issued at the end of 2019. The newly issued electrical specifications in the United States have been harmonized with NFPA855, providing regulatory agencies and construction departments with the same level of guidance as HVAC and water heaters and other equipment.
In addition to ensuring safe deployment, these standardized requirements also help construction departments and supervisors enforce safety requirements, which makes it easier for them to deal with battery and related equipment safety issues. As regulators develop routine procedures that allow the installation of battery energy storage systems, the risks associated with these critical steps will be reduced, thereby reducing project deployment time, reducing costs, and improving the customer experience. As with the previous standard, this will continue to promote the development of solar energy + energy storage.
Future development of battery energy storage system
Today, more and more businesses and residential users can use battery energy storage systems to provide basic services to maintain the stability of the power grid. Utilities will continue to promote increasingly complex rate structures to more accurately reflect their costs and the environmental impact of power supply. With climate change leading to extreme weather and power outages, the value and importance of battery energy storage systems will increase significantly.
