Battery

technologies
4. Batteries and energy storage
4. Batteries and
energy storage

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 4. Batteries and energy storage

Learning outcomes
You will be able to:

Consider the
advantages of iron
Identify applications and salt flow batteries as an
Calculate grid storage advantages of distributed alternative to lithium-ion
battery capacities. grid storage and justify batteries for grid storage
a simple national grid and calculate the scale
storage plan. of installation
required.

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 4. Batteries and energy storage

What’s the big challenge with renewable energy?

Countries need to transition to renewable energy to reach their goals to greatly reduce carbon emissions.
Wind and solar power will be even more vital sources of energy.

Wind power Solar power Domestic energy use Industrial energy use

• How does our need for energy change during the day and across the seasons?
• How does the energy available from the sun and wind vary during the day and across the seasons?
• What big challenge does this suggest that engineers need to solve?

Image © This Is Engineering 4

 4. Batteries and energy storage

Batteries and home energy storage

This home energy system includes solar power generation, a battery energy storage system (BESS), and a
hybrid inverter that manages how the home uses direct solar power, battery power or metered mains power.

Solar panels
DC AC • Explain how the
battery storage helps the
owners to make the most
Hybrid
Home of their solar generation.
inverter
• Explain how the storage
lets the owners make use
of cheaper overnight
off-peak tariffs.
Meter
Battery • What else might this
Energy system allow the owner
Storage to do with excess
System stored energy?

Power grid 5
 4. Batteries and energy storage

Batteries and home energy storage

The charts show a home’s daily solar electricity production and consumption patterns.
Each bar represents the average supply or demand in kWh across 12 x 2-hour periods.

WINTER generation supply and demand (kWh) SUMMER generation supply and demand (kWh)
Generation supply Demand Generation supply Demand
1.2 2.5

1 2

Energy (kWh)
Energy (kWh)

0.8
1.5
0.6
1
0.4

0.5
0.2

0 0
02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Time of day (24-hr clock) Time of day (24-hr clock)

• What qualitative information does the general shape of each chart provide?
• Add up the generation supply and demand in winter and summer.
• Use your totals to suggest what size of battery energy storage system might be appropriate.
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 4. Batteries and energy storage

Batteries and home energy storage – answers

In winter, the solar panels can create a small surplus during the middle of the day when demand is low.
In summer the solar panels generate much more energy (note the different scale of the graph)
and over a longer period during the day. The demand for energy in this home is lower in summer than in winter.

WINTER generation supply and demand (kWh) SUMMER generation supply and demand (kWh)
Generation supply Demand Generation supply Demand
1.2 2.5

1 2

Energy (kWh)
Energy (kWh)

0.8
1.5
0.6
1
0.4

0.5
0.2

0 0
02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Time of day (24-hr clock) Time of day (24-hr clock)

Winter: Summer:
Demand is 6.25 kWh per day. Demand is 4.2 kWh per day.
Supply is 4 kWh. Supply is 10 kWh.
Across the day, about 2 kWh storage may be helpful. This suggests a maximum of 5 kWh storage might be possible.
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Electric vehicles (EVs) and home energy storage

The homeowner buys an EV with a 60 kWh

battery. Their home charging point can deliver
7.4 kW maximum charge rate to the EV.
• When is the owner most likely to charge the EV?
• How long would a full charge take?
• How long would a 20% top-up take?
This charging point is bidirectional. That is, it can charge and
discharge the EV to store energy for use in the home or to sell
back to the grid.
• The owner’s daily electricity use is 5 kWh. The range of
the EV is 240 miles. How does supplying 1 kWh of power
to the house affect the range?
There are 477,000 pure EVs in the UK as of mid-2022.
Assuming they have the same 60 kWh average battery size,
• What is the total demand if 80% need a 20% top-up while
20% need a full charge?
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EVs and home energy storage – answers
Most people will charge their EV overnight.
• Discuss what challenge EV
A full charge would take 8 hours and 6 minutes.
charging presents for the national grid
A 20% top-up (12 kWh) would take 1 hour and 37 minutes. – especially as we move to more
renewable energy.
Every 1 kWh reduces the EV’s range by about 4 miles.
• What is the UK’s total storage capacity
Topping up 80% of 477,000 EVs would take if all 477,000 EVs had a bidirectional
80% x 477,000 cars x 20% x 60 kWh = 4.6 GWh. charger?

A full charge for the remaining 20% would take • How might this enable EVs to form
20% x 477,000 cars x 60 kWh = 5.7 GWh. part of the solution of balancing
demand with renewable supply?
Total demand = 4.6 + 5.7 = 10.3 GWh.

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 4. Batteries and energy storage

Batteries and grid storage

The UK’s national electricity grid will increasingly depend on intermittent renewable • How can national
and local grid storage help to
energy sources. overcome these three challenges to
Increased EV charging will create predictable demand surges overnight and at the national grid?
charging hubs near transport networks. The UK is predicted to need
50 GW of grid storage by 2050. This will
The national grid must also become more resilient and provide the right need to include different capabilities in
combination of instantaneous power in GW and total energy storage in GWh. terms of MW capacity and hours of
Solar supply. For example, 5MW of storage with
1 hour of capacity could support short-
term, local peak demand, while 500MW
with 10 hours’ capacity could provide
Homes regional overnight supply.
National grid
Local grid • Complete the grid on the activity
sheet to divide 50 GW power across
Wind Grid 1, 2, 5 and 10 hours of capacity.
battery • How much total energy storage
storage capacity in GWh will your plan
provide?
EV
hubs
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 4. Batteries and energy storage

Batteries and grid storage – answers

What matters is how this 50 GW of power is shared These suggested units add up to 50 GW instantaneous power:
across different scales of capacity (how long this
power can be sustained), to match how demand 5 MW 50 MW 100 MW 500 MW
varies regionally and over time.
1 hr 1000 units
A national network of storage can increase 2 hrs 1000 units 100 units
grid resilience across both time and location:
5 hrs 100 units 100 units
Large-scale grid storage can store renewable
10 hrs 40 units
energy to feed into the grid to meet ‘out of sync’
national demand, for example overnight.
This is one possible solution that provides:
Smaller-scale and local grid storage can store
renewable energy, for example to supply local EV 5 MW: 15 GWh (5 MW x 1 hr x 1000) + (5 MW x 2 hrs x
hubs and to balance out smaller differences in 1000)
supply and demand. 50 MW: 35 GWh (50 MW x 2 hrs x 100) + (50 MW x 5 hrs x
100)
Hence not only does instantaneous power in GW 100 MW: 50 GWh (100 MW x 5 hrs x 100)
need to be considered, but also how this is proved 500 MW: 200 GWh (500 MW x 10 hrs x 40)
over time as total energy storage, in GWh.
Total: 300 GWh total energy storage 11
 4. Batteries and energy storage

Battery storage and engineering careers

Power engineer Battery engineer Battery technician Electrical engineer

I connect battery I design new battery I monitor and I create the
storage to the systems that make use maintain the batteries electrical systems
national grid and of safer and long-term in grid storage within battery
local EV hubs. cell chemistries. systems. storage sites.

Smart grid Electronics

Materials engineer analyst engineer
I help to identify the I create the Software engineer I develop the battery
best cell chemistries algorithms that I design the software management system
for grid battery manage how battery that manages the grid. that keeps the system
storage. storage supports safe and efficient.
the grid.

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 4. Batteries and energy storage

Learning outcomes
You will be able to:

Consider the
advantages of iron
Identify applications and salt flow batteries as an
Calculate grid storage advantages of distributed alternative to lithium-ion
battery capacities. grid storage and justify batteries for grid storage
a simple national grid and calculate the scale
storage plan. of installation
required.

13