Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are changing how electricity can be stored, managed, and delivered.
Traditionally, solar-generated energy needed to be used as it was produced. Battery storage creates another option by allowing electricity to be stored and used later, including during periods of peak demand or when solar production is reduced.
For utilities, this provides greater flexibility in balancing electricity supply and demand, supporting renewable energy, reducing stress on transmission infrastructure, and improving grid reliability.
Westphal & Company brings full-service electrical expertise to the design and installation of BESS projects, including experience with large, utility-scale battery storage in Wisconsin.
What Is a Battery Energy Storage System?
A Battery Energy Storage System stores electricity when energy supply is high and delivers it when demand increases.
At its simplest, the process works in three steps:
Charge → Store → Discharge
When electricity is available for storage, power is sent to the batteries. That energy remains stored until the utility grid calls for it, at which point it can be discharged back into the transmission network.
This helps balance the electrical grid by making energy available when it is needed most.
BESS can be particularly valuable when paired with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Solar production changes throughout the day and can be reduced by environmental conditions. Battery storage allows available energy to be stored and used later, providing another resource for managing fluctuations in generation and demand.
What Are the Key Components of a BESS?
The batteries may be the most recognizable part of a Battery Energy Storage System, but several interconnected components are required to safely store, manage, convert, and deliver electricity.
- Battery Modules
- Battery modules store electrical energy. Currently, lithium-ion is the most commonly used battery type in utility-scale BESS installations.
- Transformers
- Transformers help connect the BESS to the larger electrical system by adjusting voltage levels as electricity moves between the battery storage system and utility infrastructure.
- Power Conversion System (PCS)
- Batteries operate using direct current (DC), while utility power is delivered using alternating current (AC).
- The Power Conversion System converts DC battery power to AC utility power and supports the conversion required when charging the batteries.
- Energy Management System (EMS)
- The Energy Management System manages the charging and discharging rates of the batteries based on the requirements of the system.
- Thermal Management System
- Temperature is an important factor in lithium-ion battery operation. Heating and cooling systems help maintain the batteries within the appropriate operating range.
- At Westphal’s Wood County BESS project, each battery container has a self-contained heating and cooling system. Power export generates heat, making the integrated HVAC system an important part of managing battery operating temperatures.
- The system helps maintain the batteries within the ideal temperature range for efficient charging and discharging.
- Safety
- Battery units are equipped with fire detection and suppression systems.
- Local fire departments are consulted and trained in dealing with lithium-ion thermal events.
Why Does BESS Matter?
Battery Energy Storage Systems provide several benefits for utilities, renewable energy installations, and the electrical grid.
- Improves Grid Reliability
- By storing electricity and making it available when it is needed, BESS gives utilities an additional resource for responding to changing grid conditions and balancing electricity supply and demand.
- BESS installations can react quickly to grid demand. Release of battery storage can be programmed based on forecasted weather or other peak usage events.
- Supports Renewable Energy
- Battery storage allows electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar to be stored for later use.
- This can help balance electricity loads on days when solar production is reduced because of environmental factors and smooth quick changes in solar power generation.
- Reduces Utility System Upgrades
- Battery storage can help manage when and where electricity is delivered, reducing strain on existing utility infrastructure and the need for certain system upgrades.
- Reduces Peak Energy Costs
- During periods of high peak demand, electricity can become more expensive. BESS allows stored energy to be dispatched during those periods, helping offset peak demand and reduce associated energy costs.
- Supports Reliability and Microgrids
- Solar storage can also support microgrid applications and help maintain essential services, such as communications, when the system is designed for that purpose.
BESS and Solar Installations
Pairing battery storage with solar generation creates additional flexibility in how renewable electricity can be used.
When solar production is high, available electricity can be stored rather than requiring it to be used immediately. When production decreases or demand rises, stored electricity can be discharged.
This provides three important advantages for solar installations:
- Stabilizing electricity loads: Helping maintain power supply when solar production is reduced by environmental factors.
- Balancing solar power generation: Helping prevent quick changes caused by brief power disruptions or fluctuations in solar production.
- Reliability: Supporting applications such as microgrids and helping keep essential services, including communications, uninterrupted.
As utilities work to decarbonize operations, battery storage coupled with large solar installations provides one path toward making renewable generation more flexible and useful to the electrical grid.
What It Takes to Build BESS at Utility Scale
The basic concept behind BESS—charge, store, discharge—is straightforward. Building the electrical infrastructure that makes it possible is considerably more complex.
Battery modules must work alongside transformers, power conversion equipment, energy management systems, thermal management, fire detection and suppression, and the electrical infrastructure connecting the complete system to the grid.
Each component must operate as part of a single integrated system.
Electrical design, installation, and maintenance are critical parts of bringing a BESS project online and supporting its long-term performance.
Westphal & Company’s BESS Installation & Integration
Westphal & Company is a full-service electrical contractor providing electrical and technology construction services for projects ranging from large industrial and institutional facilities to residential service work.
Our team supports Battery Energy Storage System projects through electrical installation, system integration, commissioning support, and the infrastructure needed for reliable long-term operation.
Our BESS capabilities are backed by experience working on large-scale battery storage projects and the electrical infrastructure required to connect these systems with utility and renewable energy installations.
As utility grid infrastructure continues to evolve, Westphal is helping build electrical systems that support smarter, more resilient energy delivery systems.
