Battery Energy Storage Roadmap/RELIABLE

RELIABLE, utility-grade battery energy storage assets and fleets are dependably dispatched, fortified for field deployment, designed with common monitoring, control, and communication systems, and optimized by data-informed asset management strategies.

Aspects of the Future State

A future in which battery energy storage is RELIABLE requires:

• A comprehensive understanding of BESS asset life that informs technology and system development while considering energy equity, utility operations, and customer needs.
• The support of a skilled workforce that assures reliable BESS deployment, integration, operation, and maintenance.
• Leading practices for data collection and evaluation of performance and reliability to enable simple and effective BESS benchmarking and technology comparisons to bolster asset and fleet reliability.
• Innovative, automated methods for real-time operational performance analysis and accurate state-of-health projections to facilitate intelligent and cost-effective asset O&M strategies.
• Development of dependable and integrated monitoring and control technologies that use common communication protocols across utility controls, BESS assets, fleets, and technology solution providers.

Current State and Gaps

The Current State of reliability related to each project Life Cycle Phase gives context to the identified Gaps that EPRI and others can address to advance deployment of reliable battery energy storage

Life Cycle Phase	Current State	Gaps
Planning	Long-term BESS asset and fleet reliability is not well understood due to the relative nascence of the technology as an electric power system component.	Trained analysis and grid planning personnel for improved BESS and electric system reliability Common data collection and analysis methodologies that enable consistent performance and reliability assessments used to develop improved technoeconomic models
Procurement	Establishing common data-informed procurement requirements applicable to all energy storage technologies and use cases is challenging because the landscape of energy storage products, solution providers, and applications is constantly evolving.	Performance characterization for understanding reliability, availability, and longevity Common system reliability requirements specified in requests for proposal for utility, customer-sited, and microgrid systems Derisked technology selection considers battery technology and solution provider evaluation and qualification for all system components
Deployment & Integration	The quantity and quality of system performance and related non-performance data available for reliability analysis is limited and impacting development and improvement of BESS reliability standards and regulations.	Inventory of component reliability and failure rates based on deployed system data to improve system design and reliability Common design, data collection, and analysis guidelines, including outage reporting, alarms, monitoring, control, and communication systems
Operations & Maintenance	Asset management strategies are underdeveloped in how they balance reliability and risk because of the scarcity of installed system operations data needed to development technology-specific operational practices and maintenance plans.	Data-informed asset management strategies to optimize operations and augmentation plans, extend life, increase uptime, and improve provisioning and storage of spare parts. Integrated, real-time monitoring and control technologies that indicate emerging issues and enable preventative maintenance planning and activities
Decommissioning	Reliability is not often associated with end-of-life (EOL), therefore energy storage reliability as it pertains to system decommissioning is not well understood.	Data-informed definition of EOL for consistent determination of residual asset value used in planning and asset management Circular economy practices that strengthen an internal provision of refurbished or reused spare parts

EPRI's Role in RELIABILITY

EPRI is engaged in applied research and project activities for BESS reliability. The projects listed below are a representative sample from the breadth of EPRI’s activities related to this Future State Pillar. EPRI resources related to BESS reliability can be found on the EPRI resources page.

BEST Reliability (free to the public)

The Best Reliability: Benchmarking Energy Storage Technologies for Improved Reliability project builds upon the current Energy Storage Performance and Reliability Foresight (Free to the public) supplemental project, which developed a sophisticated, secure platform to analyze past energy storage system performance and project overall reliability.

BEST Reliability will address some of the gaps identified in a recent report, Pathways to Improved Energy Storage Reliability (free to the public), which also provides a framework for EPRI’s energy storage reliability assessment.

Emerging Energy Storage Technologies deRISKED (free to the public)

This project builds upon the current Emerging Energy Storage Technology Testing and Demonstration (free to the public)supplemental project, which tests, demonstrates, and analyzes data from pre-commercial, non-lithium energy storage technologies. Participants benefit from an enhanced understanding of emerging battery technologies that can support eventual planning, deployment, and operation of these systems.

EPRI’s Energy Storage Technology Database

This database contains technical overviews of candidate energy storage technologies and is a singular source for information about energy storage products. The database can be used in various ways, from simple technology development tracking to project planning and technology selection support. The technologies included in the database generally have an identified developer and have achieved a technology readiness level (TRL) of TRL-3 or have real prospects of attaining this level in the near-to-intermediate future.