The brilliance of batteries – how battery storage can change the way your organisation uses energy

These days savvy businesses don’t just get their energy from the National Grid – they use a range of different energy solutions. One of these is battery storage. In the past, when homes and businesses demanded more electricity at peak times, the only solution was for power plants to produce more. But developments in technology mean it’s now possible for individual businesses to store their own energy in batteries. So the electricity grid can continue to operate as usual while businesses use energy they’ve previously stored to make up any shortfall.

This doesn’t just benefit the energy industry – it helps individual businesses too. You can charge your battery when energy prices are cheaper, then use the energy you’ve stored when they’re more expensive. Batteries can also help you keep your supply reliable, cut down on energy waste and reduce your costs.

How does it work?

Commercial battery storage systems are basically just bigger versions of the ones we use in our mobile phones. Once you have one installed on your site you can charge it in lots of different ways, as and when you need to. There are different types of battery and various options available depending on what you need – some batteries charge up and discharge quickly, while others take longer to charge and store more energy.

The benefits of batteries for business

A constant back up: Power cuts are never welcome. But if you have critical systems that depend on electricity they can be devastating. Commercial battery storage can provide emergency power in case the worst happens.

Extra revenue: Installing an energy storage solution like this means you could qualify for incentives from the National Grid. Like a demand response contract where you increase or decrease your energy use to reflect demand (and if you’re able to do this at short notice, these types of contracts can be really lucrative). Found yourself with extra energy? Sell it back to the grid. Our PowerShift energy trading platform can help you make the most of this by trading extra energy across different markets (contact us to find out more).

A reduced carbon footprint: We all want to do our bit for the environment. But the unreliable nature of renewable energy means that it just doesn’t work for every business. The good news is that we can now combine battery storage with renewable energy systems. So, for example, you could install a solar-powered system alongside battery storage. Then when solar energy’s plentiful you can store the extra in your battery to use at a later date. This type of hybrid system could help your business move towards being completely energy self-sufficient. And in the long term, it can support renewable energy on a much larger scale, helping reduce carbon emissions across the world.

Walking the walk/ Starting small

EDF Energy is also benefitting from battery storage at our own sites. We’ve recently installed a Panasonic 50kW/65kWh battery storage system at our national training facility in Cannington. This is a relatively small battery compared to some of the batteries out there, which proves battery is scalable, it’s not just for larger organisation. Over its lifetime we expect to use PowerShift, our energy trading platform, to generate substantial revenues from it, while also feeding energy back into the National Grid.

Want to know more?

Whatever size your business is, you could benefit from battery storage. Get in touch with us to find out how easy it is to get a system installed.

And if you’re interested in news on future events, blogs and updates on the energy industry, sign up to Talk Power.