Commercial & Industrial Energy Storage (C&I)
C&I energy storage is a system primarily designed for commercial and industrial applications, such as manufacturing plants, office buildings, schools, hospitals, factories, shopping centers and other mid-scale facilities.
The system consist of batteries combined with power conversion system. Compared to residential energy storage systems, C&I energy storage systems have much larger capacities as they have to withstand much bigger energy demands of the facilities. The main goal of C&I energy storage is to increase efficiency of energy consumption, reduce electricity costs, ensure backup power supply and to integrate renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power plants.
How does a C&I Energy Storage System work?
Main operation principle of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) energy storage system is similar to RESS with the only difference which is the amount of energy being stored and transferred. The system can be supplied with electricity from sources like solar panels or wind turbines as well as from the grid during periods with lower energy demand (off-peak hours), in which the price tends to drop down significantly.
Energy is stored in form of direct current (DC), which is later transferred to alternating current (AC) using power conversion system (PCS), to power appliances and equipment of the facility. The head of operation is energy management system (EMS), which take care of actively managing charge and discharge cycles to provide the best outcome of the system and to provide the best profits for the user.
C&I systems are also commonly used to interact with public grid to provide grid services like frequency regulation or power arbitrage.