This report investigates the technical performance of the Glacier BESS facility, consisting of one 2 MW, 4 MWh BESS, based on a number of baseline and use case tests. Baseline tests were intended to assess the general technical capability of the BESS (e.g., stored energy capacity, ramp rate performance, ability to track varying charge/discharge commands, direct current (DC) battery internal resistance). Use case tests were used to examine the performance of the BESS while engaged in specific economic services (e.g., arbitrage, power factor correction). The project measured and/or calculated parameters that are important for understanding BESS performance when subjected to actual field operation for achieving economic benefits, e.g., round trip efficiency (RTE) with and without rest, with and without auxiliary loads, auxiliary power consumption, signal command tracking performance, temperature variations, parasitic power loss during power electronics switching during rest, and state of charge (SOC) excursions. These baseline and use case parameters were analyzed using recorded test results. In addition, the results and lessons presented herein are also beneficial for any task or effort that needs technical assessment on similar and different types of BESS based on field deployment results, since the assessment methodology remains the same.
Revised: August 19, 2020 |
Published: July 31, 2019