What is Battery energy storage systems (BESS) ?
A BESS is a compound system comprising hardware components along with low-level and high-level software. The main BESS parts include:
1.A battery system (cell, battery pack) . It contains individual battery cells that convert chemical energy into electrical energy. The cells are arranged in modules that, in their turn, form battery packs
2.A battery management system (BMS). A BMS ensures the safety of the battery system. It monitors the condition of battery cells, measures their parameters and states, such as state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-health (SOH), and protects batteries from hazards by disconnecting battery from system.
3.An inverter or a power conversion system (PCS). It has bi-directional inverters that allow for both charging and discharging. . This converts direct current (DC) produced by batteries into alternating current (AC) supplied to electrical grid.
4.An energy management system (EMS). This is responsible for monitoring and control within a battery storage system. An EMS coordinates the work of a BMS, a PCS, and other components of a BESS. By collecting and analyzing energy data, an EMS can efficiently manage the power resources of the system.
5.Others: Depending on its functionality and operating conditions, a BESS can also include a range of safety systems, such as a fire control system, a smoke detector, a temperature control system, cooling, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
The global energy storage systems market demand and size are expected to witness a robust growth due to four aspects as below :
1.Rising demand for electric vehicles is expected to expand the numbers and size of energy storage systems, for it meets the needs of electric cars are fully charged at work and at home.
2.The goal of energy storage system capacity in Taiwan : Taipower has recognized the importance of the development of renewable energy and has targeted to boost its storage capacity to 590 MWh by 2025.
3.Energy storage will play a key role in the industry as the renewable energy grows, for solar and wind grows are not constantly available and predictable– this is called intermittency. Energy-storage devices can store surplus energy during off-peak hours into the grid and ensure energy consistency. It can lower the impact of weather variations on energy production.
4.The price of lithium-ion batteries has declined. The energy systems composed of thousands or tens of thousands of lithium cells based on the capacity and charge/discharge demand. As the global battery prices fall in 2018, the market of energy storage accelerates.
The energy storage equipment will play a crucial role in power system.
Electricity Security should also be taken into account.
When it comes to electricity security, , it is important to ensure the protection against an arc flash.
Electrical arcing is when an inductive circuit is switched off, the current cannot instantaneously jump to zero: a transient arc will be formed across the separating contacts. It also occurs during short circuit condition which passes through this arc gap.
Undesired arcing cause damage to electrical contacts of the equipment through melting of conductors, destruction of insulation and thus influence transmission quality. Unintended electric arcing can have detrimental effects on electric power transmission, distribution systems and electronic equipment and device include switches, circuit breakers, relay contacts, fuses, current transformer or switchboard. It may lead to high cost of downtime for components changing and raise the probability of power system blackout.
For inverter or a power conversion system, a power surges or short circuit happens due to damaged circuit board owing to high temperature or faulty wire insulation.
What can Kingfont do
Kingfont power connectors incorporating the patented PowerSpeed™ contact technology combine with customized surge protection device with anti flashover could provides efficiency, safety, Go-Green and durability for power transmission using in electrical systems and equipment. The patented configuration for Kingfont power connectors provide excellent vibration and high impact resistance to prevent short circuit and then cause arc flash. Also, it assures the retention force of connector won’t drop as a result of heat relaxation and thus lead to poor contact surface and higher resistance. The result is superior electrical transfer that doesn’t deteriorate from harsh environments (high vibration, temperatures, humidity)
Moreover, it extends the life of certain applications require repeated insertion/extraction cycles. PowerSpeed™ structure provide excellent durability for enabling thousands of cycles while maintaining good plating finishes because of zero insertion forces. With full contact structure, there is no air between the mating surfaces lowering the possibility of oxidation.
Battery Energy Storage Systems demand a comprehensive circuit protection strategy. The major areas of concern are protection against electrical overcurrent, overload, short circuit, arc flash, and transient overvoltage. Kingfont power connectors use PowerSpeed™ contact technology to meet the increasing power delivery of above 100 A or more, and the need for a smaller board footprint. Also, with Kingfont’s surge protection device with anti flashover, we can tailor to a specific application and provide features such as short circuit protection, arc detection, different levels of sealing (IP) etc. ideal for use in energy storage systems.
