American developer esVolta has selected Mumbai-based ION Energy’s battery analytics platform to improve the operational efficiency of its 581 MWh of utility-scale energy storage projects—one of the largest such deals in the world.
For comparison, one MWh or 1,000 kWh is roughly equivalent to the amount of electricity required to power 750 homes for one hour.
Under the partnership, ION Energy’s battery analytics platform, Edison Analytics, will be deployed across esVolta’s entire portfolio of battery energy storage projects in North America.
All batteries undergo ageing, which reduces their capacity to supply energy to the grid, resulting in a decline in dispatch revenues for battery operators. Some ageing in batteries is cyclical and normal. However, abnormal ageing is detrimental to battery health and affects the profitability and reliability of the project.
“Edison Analytics analyzes battery data and identifies the causes of abnormal battery degradation. It simulates the batteries’ operational performance and suggests charging/discharging schedules that will result in minimal degradation of the batteries,” ION Energy said.
“Additionally, by syncing the optimal charging schedule and forecasting the best possible dispatches into the market, Edison Analytics will help BESS operators take data-driven decisions on timing and number of daily cycles to run.”
As part of a pilot study, Edison Analytics worked with the esVolta team on improving the efficiency of one of their sites, an 8 MWh battery system located in Irvine, California. Using the data from the site, it was able to simulate the number of cycles the batteries could safely undertake per day without excessive degradation.
Based on the pilot study, Edison Analytics estimates savings of $450,000 annually for esVolta by reducing excess battery degradation through improved heating and discharge management.
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