Over-estimating Battery Capacity: How Inaccurate Assumptions Skew Power System Studies

Category : Electricity
Date: 2024-10-04

Garbage in, garbage out! Inaccurate assumptions in modelling can significantly skew the outcomes of power system and market studies. Yet, obtaining precise input data for battery storage systems is often challenging. Take the Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, for example. While many studies might use its 194 MWh nameplate capacity as the input, it typically operates within only an 80 MWh range. This reliance on nominal capacities can lead to overly optimistic outcomes in both financial and operational studies.

 

The graph below illustrates the typical operating energy levels for Hornsdale and Lake Bonney BESS in South Australia, clearly showing the gap between their operational ranges and nameplate capacities. This visualisation was derived by applying our newly developed algorithm to the telemetered data of these batteries for the first 6 months of 2023.

This algorithm was developed to accurately estimate operational characteristics, such as energy level and efficiency, of batteries and will be detailed in the research paper by OptiGrid founders. The research findings underscore the importance of accurate operational characteristics for financial and operational studies when considering battery storage systems.

If you’d like to learn more about our research or have any questions about estimating battery characteristics and performance, feel free to reach out to us! We’d love to hear from you.

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