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E-BROCHURE

Applications for
Battery Storage (BESS)
Secure, protect and optimize battery storage systems

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Index

01 03
Introduction & Key trends Application overview
Remember to
leave your
Market trends Why to choose ABB solutions feedback
Key trends Applications overview

How does energy storage Utility Scale (Front-of-the-meter)

benefit the grid and industry?
Commercial and
How ESS becomes BESS Industrial (Behind-the-meter)

Why we need Energy Storage Residential (Behind-the-meter)

02 Main switching & protection

challenges in BESS

New technology on the rise

04 Product offering

Main switching and protection

challenges in BESS
Introduction & key trends

In a world becoming more digital and

electric every day, we need
Energy Storage Systems to help the
world produce and consume energy
more efficiently and sustainably.

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Market trends
What are the expectations for the BESS market?

As electricity consumption increases,

we must find different and more sustainable
ways to produce, use, and consume our
primary source of power.
221
bn $

19%

9.5% 01 INTRODUCTION
& KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

151
APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING

bn $
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Key trends
Current challenges of the electrical grid

Electrical grids that were once state-of-the-art now struggle to deliver the reliability and efficiency required today.

Coal plant
retirements Proliferation
Electricity of smart grid
consumption technology
on the rise

Electrification
of transportation
Growth in
renewables

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
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How does energy storage benefit the grid and industry?

Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can solve one of the well-known problems in electricity production: the electricity
needs to be used as it is generated, which is not always the same time it is needed.

ENSURING DECREASING STORING MAINTAINING PROVIDING SPEEDING UP FLATTENING

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
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How ESS becomes BESS

There are many types of energy storage systems depending on the type of technology used. Some technologies
provide short-term energy storage, while others provide energy storage for a longer duration.

Power-to-Gas 1 Year
1000 Methane

Pumped
100 1 Month
Storage
Discharge Time (H)

Compressed Air
10 Storage
Power-to-Gas 1 Day
Hydrogen INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS
1
Batteries
MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
0.1 CHALLENGES IN BESS
1 Hour
Flywheel APPLICATION
0.01
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
0.001 04 OFFERING
1 kWh 10 kWh 100 kWh 1 MWh 10 MWh 100 MWh 1 GWh 10 GWh 100 GWh 1 TWh 10 TWh 1 00 TWh
Storage Capacity
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Why we need Energy Storage

Battery energy storage systems provide short-term energy storage.

Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, are currently the dominant storage
technology for large-scale plants to help electricity grids ensure a reliable supply of renewable energy.

Choosing batteries for

energy storage can be
beneficial for several
reasons, such as their 01 INTRODUCTION
& KEY TRENDS
cost-efficiency, enhanced
safety, and environmental 02
MAIN SWITCHING
& PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS
friendliness.
APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
Main switching & protection
challenges in BESS
Handling higher fault current events,
managing direct currents and
protecting the battery storage against
ground faults are just few of the latest
challenges that Battery is faced with
today.

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New technology on the rise

BESS moving to higher DC and AC voltages

Today, most utility-scale solar inverters and converters use 1500 VDC input from the solar panels. Matching the
energy storage DC voltage with that of the PV eliminates the need to convert battery voltage, resulting in greater
space efficiency and lower equipment costs.

1500V DC
and 800V AC

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING

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Main switching and protection challenges in BESS

Higher fault
current
withstand Problem In battery system applications,
each battery rack can provide
capability short circuit current EXPLORE THE
contribution that is ten times
higher than its rated current
ABB SOLUTIONS
according to the battery NEXT
technology.

The time must be

Hence, having up to tens of sufficient to allow
battery racks in parallel, the the fuse to trip.
total short circuit current
INTRODUCTION
contribution could be very large. 01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS
The switching devices must
be able to withstand such 03 APPLICATION
OVERVIEW
large short circuit current
values.
PRODUCT

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Main switching and protection challenges in BESS

Problem
EXPLORE THE
In Battery System applications, the ABB SOLUTIONS
load current must be switched often,
NEXT
Critical not at the battery rated value, but at
a low value, when the battery itself is
currents almost fully charged or discharged.
management
and
bidirectionality

As a consequence, switching devices must

In Battery System applications, be able to interrupt the load current in both
the current can flow in both directions without having to change the
directions during the battery poles connection.
INTRODUCTION
charging and discharging. 01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

Switching devices must be able to

APPLICATION
interrupt these types of currents, called 03 OVERVIEW
critical currents, because their

Need interruption is more difficult than the

rated current in DC applications.
04
PRODUCT
OFFERING
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Main switching and protection challenges in BESS

In a Battery System there can be up to three ground connection points: the MV/LV transformer neutral,
either the DC negative or the DC midpoint (if present) at the converter level, and either the DC negative
or the DC midpoint (if present) at the battery rack level.

EXPLORE THE
ABB SOLUTIONS
Problem NEXT

DC Ground
connection and Even though the DC battery racks and DC negative/
midpoint at converter level are unground, while the
isolation. transformer neutral is grounded, the DC system is
not isolated, since in case of a DC ground fault, there Otherwise, if not only the DC battery
wil be a ground fault current passing through the racks and DC negative/midpoint at
grounded transformer neutral and the converter converter level are unground, but also
(unless the converter is isolated type) made by a the transformer neutral (or an isolated
double contribution: from the AC Utility and from the converter is installed), an insulating
battery racks through the healthy polarity monitoring device is needed to detect
(interrupted by the converter itself). the first ground fault.
INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
DC BATTERY DC NEGATIVE
CHALLENGES IN BESS
RACK MIDPOINT
APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW
This means that overcurrent protective devices

Need for protection against ground fault contribution

coming from the AC Utility in a sort of TN 04
PRODUCT
OFFERING
system are needed.
TRANSFORMER
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Main switching and protection challenges in BESS

Problem
Direct Current
Interruption of Direct Current is
knowledge historically more difficult than EXPLORE THE
about interruption of Alternative Current, ABB SOLUTIONS
because Direct Current doesn’t pass
distribution, through zero. So, the switches’ and
switching and breaker of the pole connection are
protection. different, with more poles in series.

In addition, the presence of Based on such considerations,

converters requires the the DC distribution inside plants
understanding of their behavior like battery storage system and
during both short circuits and the related protection are topics
ground faults. not so very understood thus far, 01 INTRODUCTION
& KEY TRENDS
also because of the lack of
suitable and dedicated MAIN SWITCHING
standardization. 02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
Need 04 OFFERING
Application overview

Explore ABB tailored solutions

to secure, protect and optimize any
type of battery storage systems.

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Why to choose ABB solutions

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
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Application Overview

COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL

RESIDENTIAL

UTILITY SCALE
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BESS Typologies
Utility Scale (Front-of-the-meter)

Explore our Application Bundles,

EXPLORE OUR APPLICATION SOLUTIONS OVERVIEW
a solution with preconfigured
FOR UTILITY SCALE
bundles of products to easily set up
your Bess utility scale installation
Switching & Protection for Power Conversion System (IEC & UL)

Switching & Protection with the ABB PCS100 ESS (IEC & UL)

Switching & Protection for DC combiner

IEC UL
INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
Switching & Protection for Battery Racks 02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

IEC UL
APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
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BESS Typologies
Commercial and Industrial (Behind-the-meter)

Explore our Application Bundles, a

OVERVIEW
solution with preconfigured bundles of EXPLORE OUR APPLICATION SOLUTIONS FOR
products to easily set up your Bess COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL
Commercial & Industrial installation

Switching & Protection with the

ABB PCS100 ESS (IEC & UL)

Switching & Protection for DC combiner

IEC UL

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS
Switching & Protection for Battery Rack
MAIN SWITCHING
IEC UL 02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
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BESS Typologies
Residential (Behind-the-meter)

EXPLORE OUR APPLICATION OVERVIEW

SOLUTION FOR RESIDENTIAL

Switching and protection solutions

COMING SOON

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW

PRODUCT
04 OFFERING
Product offering

Explore our most cutting-edge

products to secure, protect and
optimize battery storage systems

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Product offering

Emax 2/E9 Tmax T HV AF contactor PCS Surge protection

WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE

GF contactors DC switch- Emax 2 MS/DC-E Insulation

disconnectors monitoring relays
16...1000 A

INTRODUCTION
01 & KEY TRENDS

MAIN SWITCHING
02 & PROTECTION
CHALLENGES IN BESS

APPLICATION
03 OVERVIEW
WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE WEB PAGE CATALOGUE
PRODUCT
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