B. Taube, R. Johnson, A. McQuilling, P. Leufkens, C. Thompson
Southern Research,
United States
Keywords: system and module level function and performance testing, stacked services testing and visualization, economic analysis, witness testing, commissioning, and factory and site acceptance testing
Summary:
The integration and implementation of energy storage to the grid, especially to support mission critical infrastructure, requires a deep understanding of energy storage system functions and performance. In order to build investor confidence in the area of emerging energy storage technologies, extensive testing, evaluation, analysis and modeling must be conducted. There are few facilities that are designed to support the wide range of testing, research and evaluation services required to build this confidence. Systems need to be evaluated both on-site and remotely; additionally, test facilities need to be able to serve a range of technologies and system sizes to fully support all industry stakeholders ranging from utilities and system vendors to project investors and developers. The Energy Storage Research Center at Southern Research, in partnership with Acelerex, is able to offer a broad range of both onsite and remote testing. The ESRC is home to front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter testbed infrastructure, and through the software-hardware infrastructure at the site, is also able to provide remote testing through its innovative IoT approach. This paper will describe the role of different types of testing and evaluation in building investor confidence in energy storage and how they are implemented at a real-world test facility. These services include: system level (front-of-meter and behind-the meter) and module level function and performance testing, stacked services testing and visualization, economic analysis, witness testing, commissioning, and factory and site acceptance testing. This full suite of testing services will enable the continued development of energy storage technologies and its wider adoption into the mission-critical, operational power delivery infrastructure.