Four Major Demands for Commercial and Industrial Energy Storage

Commercial and industrial rooftops not only include standard industrial and commercial rooftops such as factory roofs, supermarkets, and office buildings but also encompass governmental institutions (government buildings, courts, etc.), public building rooftops (schools, hospitals, village committees, stations, etc.), and various "solar +" application scenarios. With large rooftop areas and high electricity consumption accompanied by relatively high electricity prices, investing in energy storage yields considerable returns. Moreover, businesses can utilize green electricity, thereby achieving energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental protection.

As distributed new energy sources are increasingly integrated across China, traditional power grids gradually fail to meet existing demands. This necessitates optimization of existing distribution networks and enhancement of basic network construction. Over the past two years, regulations regarding distributed photovoltaic (PV) coupled with energy storage have been gradually expanded nationwide, with local governments issuing preferential subsidy policies for newly built commercial and industrial energy storage. Consequently, property owners' enthusiasm for commercial and industrial energy storage has risen.

01 Transformer Overloading Issue

During the initial construction phase of industrial parks, distribution transformers typically retain some spare capacity beyond meeting planned loads. However, the growth rate of loads is often difficult to predict, whether due to increased production loads or office loads, which may lead to transformer overloading in the short term. For scenarios where transformer capacity is insufficient, the load rate is high, and expansion is challenging, considering configuring energy storage systems to alleviate such situations is advisable.

Transformer overloading usually occurs for short periods, with peak loads existing for only a few minutes to tens of minutes. During this time, transformers are overloaded, increasing the risk of electricity usage. However, increasing transformer capacity solely for these short periods entails high costs, and the lengthy process of transformer modification and expansion leads to significant losses for factories during production shutdowns. Conversely, by deploying energy storage systems to discharge during peak load periods and alleviate electricity usage pressure, such situations can be significantly reduced. This method of deploying energy storage is simpler to construct and offers higher cost-effectiveness. However, the economic value of such energy storage deployments is often difficult to calculate, with practical value being more prominent.

02 Diesel Generator Replacement Function

The second scenario primarily involves the combination of diesel generators and energy storage. Currently, this scenario is mainly concentrated in areas without power grids or with weak grids, such as mines, border outposts, islands, etc. In these scenarios, various energy sources are typically available, such as solar PV, wind turbines, etc. Diesel generators primarily serve as substitutes for the grid, supporting loads within the network as voltage sources.

In most cases, manufacturers primarily utilize diesel generators as the main voltage source in diesel-storage combinations, with energy storage serving as a substitute for diesel generators. These two energy sources cannot simultaneously establish voltage frequency. This method of combination is relatively straightforward, with low coordination between energy storage and diesel generators. Another method involves energy storage and diesel generators concurrently serving as voltage sources. Energy storage can absorb reverse flows that diesel generators cannot absorb. This combination not only increases the capacity of microgrids but also enhances their stability. Both energy storage and diesel generators can operate independently or simultaneously, greatly enhancing flexibility.

03 Backup Power Supply Demand

Various scenarios exist in commercial and industrial settings, such as commercial data centers, laboratories, hospitals, etc., where equipment is highly valuable and critical, with high requirements for power quality. Equipment such as testing devices, data servers, hospital life support equipment, etc., demands high stability in electricity supply and typically employ redundant designs to prevent data loss or other issues in the event of sudden power outages from the grid. Additionally, situations may arise where loads automatically cease operation due to fluctuations in grid frequency or voltage amplitude. Installing energy storage systems can smooth grid fluctuations, thereby improving power quality.

04 Carbon Emission Reduction

China's 14th Five-Year Plan explicitly identifies "peaking carbon dioxide emissions" and "achieving carbon neutrality" as important goals in the battle against pollution. How to generate electricity through component generation, industrial wastewater heat generation, automation line power saving, and energy storage system energy storage has become a widespread focus of attention.

On one hand, commercial and industrial property owners can achieve self-generation and self-consumption within factories through self-investment in solar PV and energy storage systems, quickly reaching investment payback periods. On the other hand, purchasing green electricity enables the greenization and decarbonization of electricity usage.

There is considerable demand in the market for commercial and industrial energy storage. Although the economic viability of commercial and industrial energy storage was previously weak, with various regions introducing favorable policies and mandatory requirements for distributed energy storage, profits from commercial and industrial energy storage projects have gradually become substantial. Thus, the focus is on designing energy storage systems reasonably to meet the needs of property owners.