Technology basics

The technology used to store energy has important implications for the types of services that can be supplied. Some technologies are only suitable for bulk power applications, whereas others are suitable for both distributed applications and bulk power applications.

Skip to:

Reading List and Case Studies

Storage Technology Types and Applications by Storage Medium

Source: NREL 2020

Each technology, whether mechanical systems like pumped hydroelectric storage or electrochemical systems like lithium-ion batteries, will have set characteristics and unique advantages and disadvantages that affect the degree to which they are suitable for different grid system applications. The definitions of several of these characteristics are provided below.

Definitions of Key Battery Technical Characteristics

Technical Characteristic	Definition
Rated power capacity	Total possible instantaneous discharge capability (in kilowatts [kW] or megawatts [MW]) of the battery energy storage system (BESS), or the maximum rate of discharge that the BESS can achieve, starting from a fully charged state
Energy capacity	Maximum amount of stored energy (in kilowatt-hours [kWh] or megawatt-hours [MWh]) a battery can hold
Energy/power density	Measure of the energy or power capacity of a battery relative to its volume (kW/L, kWh/L)
Specific energy/power	Measure of the energy or power capacity of a battery relative to its weight (kW/g, kWh/g)
Storage duration	Amount of time storage can discharge at its power capacity before depleting its energy capacity
Cycle life/lifetime	Amount of time or number of cycles a battery storage system can provide regular charging and discharging before failure or significant degradation
Round-trip efficiency	Ratio of the energy charged to the battery to the energy discharged from the battery
Self-discharge	Reduction of stored energy of the battery (percentage of charge/time) through internal chemical reactions, rather than through discharging to perform work
Dispatch	The way that the battery is operated, including the times at which it is charged and discharged, and the depth of charge or discharge
Degradation	The decrease in the battery’s capacity over time and through use
State of charge	The battery capacity as a percentage of its maximum capacity at a given time
Depth of charge	The battery capacity that has been discharged as a percentage of its maximum capacity

Reading List and Case Studies

Handbook on Battery Energy Storage System

Asian Development Bank, 2018

This handbook serves as a guide to deploying battery energy storage technologies, specifically for distributed energy resources and flexibility resources.

DOE/EPRI 2013 Electricity Storage in Collaboration with NRECA

Sandia National Laboratories, Electric Power Research Institute, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, AECOM Technical Services, Inc, 2013

The Electricity Storage Handbook (Handbook) is a how-to guide for utility and rural cooperative engineers, planners, and decision makers to plan and implement energy storage projects. The Handbook also serves as an information resource for investors and venture capitalists and provides the latest developments in technologies and tools to guide their evaluations of energy storage opportunities.