2EA Attends the Battery Tech Expo – the Future is Batteries

Posted on 9th April 2018

2EA recently visited the Battery Tech Expo in Telford, the first B2B exhibition dedicated to the advancement of battery technology in the UK.

The exhibition covered an array of the latest products and services, including battery management systems, EV Battery and battery storage, as well as talks from guest speakers within the industry.

What is Battery Storage?

Battery storage is the process of using a battery to store energy for use when needed. It does this by converting electrical energy into chemical potential energy for storage, it is then re-converted into electrical energy when it is required.

A battery storage system provides businesses with the opportunity to obtain electricity when it is relatively inexpensive, store it chemically and then consume the energy electrically when electricity prices have gone up or it is unavailable.

There are multiple components, aside from a battery, in a battery storage system that enable the system to function. These components include:

Inverters
Battery management systems
The installation of the batteries in a secure fire-rated battery enclosure

Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are used throughout the battery sector and, from what we learned during the presentations at the expo, many institutes and private research laboratories are testing them to improve efficiency.

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries are commonly found in electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones and are typically more expensive than other types of battery.

Key Facts:

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries:

Are Increasingly common in domestic grid-connected solar PV storage systems
Are Lighter
Require integrated controller, that manages charge / discharge
Are more efficient
Can discharge more stored energy
Have a longer expected lifetime

Onsite Battery Storage

While CHP, Solar, Wind and other renewable systems are in place to reduce the energy demand from the Grid, batteries are now also starting to play a key role in the process and can be seen working alongside Solar PV to store any excess energy that is produced.

With the fast development of this technology, battery storage is slowly being used beside hydro and CHP. Though when it comes to CHPs, several vendors, including CREESA, see no threat or opportunity in battery and CHP working in parallel. If you are looking at using batteries to store excess CHP energy then it should be noted that CHPs are sized for the best optimisation for your site.

Find out more information on CHPs here

There are many energy efficient technologies and schemes in the marketplace. However, with batteries, it is important to remember that battery storage is about resource efficiency and energy management. If you are looking at battery storage within the future of your energy management portfolio, remember that it should be just one element of that portfolio.

A Key Milestone for the Industry

With the battery industry on the verge of moving into the spotlight when it comes to energy, this expo was a key milestone for the industry within the UK. This milestone is highlighted by the attendance of the big technology companies who attended the event, showing how they are heavily investing in this market. Everyone is racing to achieve the next big energy and battery storage breakthrough.

2EA® have two CIBSE registered UK ESOS Lead Assessors and we offer three main ESOS management packages to help you meet the requirements of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme. If you require any assistance or have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.