Energy shifting
Assess available surplus generation, time-of-use prices, losses and the intended charge/discharge schedule. Storage should respond to the real operating pattern.
Battery Storage
Commercial battery storage.
Start with the operating case.
Commercial storage needs a specific operating case. Energy shifting, demand management and backup are different design objectives.
Operating context
Start with the objective.
Demand management
Study the magnitude, timing and duration of peaks against the actual demand-tariff structure. Battery power, capacity and controls must fit that duty; savings are not automatic.
Backup, where designed
Define priority loads, power, duration and changeover arrangements. Installing a battery alone does not establish building-wide backup or uninterrupted supply.
Selection framework
Make the assumptions explicit.
Power and energy
Compare kW delivery with usable kWh, duty cycle, degradation assumptions and warranty conditions.
Site and integration
Confirm space, access, environmental and safety requirements, inverter compatibility, controls and connection arrangements.
Business case
Use actual load and tariff evidence, capital and operating costs, losses, maintenance and replacement assumptions. Show how the result changes with tariffs, duty and equipment life.
System integration
Connect the whole building.
System connections
From generation to building use.
- PV arrayDC generation
- PV inverterConverts DC to AC
- Main switchboardAC connection point
- Plant + tenancy loadsElectricity used on site
At the switchboard: ↔ Grid↔ Optional battery + inverter
Design notes
Storage is shown as a separate AC-coupled branch. Metering, protection and isolation are omitted. Backup requires a separately designed arrangement. This is not a construction drawing.
Before a proposal
Prepare the project evidence.
Bring the site location, available electricity data, current equipment information and the intended outcome. Record missing information and confirm the assessment scope before relying on a system size or financial estimate.
Design the operating case
Battery capacity is only part of the design.
Commercial battery systems should be assessed against the building load profile, tariff structure, operating strategy, backup requirement and available generation.
Energy shifting
Move energy across time when the operating case supports it.
Demand management
Respond to defined demand peaks, power and duration.
Solar self-consumption
Use available generation within the intended energy boundary.
Resilience / backup
Define priority loads, changeover and duration explicitly.
BIPV + PV integration
Coordinate generation, storage and building interfaces as one system.
Compare the duty
One battery cannot spend its energy twice.
Daily operation
Specify when the system charges and discharges, the usable energy and power limits, and how losses and degradation affect the operating case.
Backup reserve
Energy held for an outage is not freely available for routine energy shifting. Agree which objective has priority and how the controller allocates capacity.
Outage performance
Define selected circuits, changeover behaviour and duration. Do not equate backup with uninterrupted power or assume that a commercial battery replaces a separately required emergency supply.
Further reading: Australian Government / Batteries and configured backup ↗