Services

Energy Storage

Electrical Energy Storage Systems (EESS’) are at the forefront of what we specialise in here at CES. For years our renewables experts have guided the way in Shropshire, West Midlands and the wider UK through innovative projects both on and off-grid.

As energy prices soar and existing solar arrays, turbines and hydro plants over-perform the need to store renewable energy has been intensified. The UK Energy Research Centre quotes ‘Renewables (including generation from biomass) contributed to nearly 40% of Britain’s total generation in 2022’ yet still, we live in an age where the majority of that generation is not used on site. Average wholesale prices for the export of electricity as of January 2024 are sitting at 8pence a unit whereas import pricing can be up to and beyond 35pence a unit dependant on usage and location.

How Energy Storage can help

Energy Storage as the name suggests, is the ability to store energy from multiple sources at any given time. One of the most common sources being that produced by solar or wind generation (renewables). That energy can then be redistributed on demand. Your typical use case would be the storage of solar energy during the day time when solar radiation is high and demand is low to then be discharged during the evening when radiation is low and demand is high. By time-shifting the energy generation, we avoid buying back the energy at a higher rate in the evening.

Types of Energy Storage

Energy Storage comes in many forms and part of the excitement for us here at CES is helping to recognise the new technologies available on the market. Although hydrogen storage is enjoying continued development and will potentially be a commercial offering in years to come we recognise that electrical battery storage is the most reliable and commercially viable type of storage for our domestic, commercial and agricultural clients at present.

We only use high quality Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LifePO4) battery storage modules which are one of the safest forms of Lithium-iron battery storage available. We are also at present exploring the option of offering Lithium-Iron Titanite to our clients and hope to have an announcement on this shortly.

Battery Storage of all sizes for Domestic, Commercial and Agricultural

Our approach to battery storage is one of future-proofing by using modular storage. We look to offer our clients systems from 3kWhs right through to 300kWhs and beyond based on the demand and scale of the projects. Using customer supplied data we can predict the self-consumption and grid independence levels expected to be achieved for every installation and in turn the expected payback time. Where customer data isn’t available we can opt to use standard UK consumption profiles to predict returns. For Commercial and Agricultural installations we also offer a 30-day monitoring service whereby we temporarily install import/export metering equipment and then analyse the real-time data in order to design and specify the ideal storage size.

Retrofit or New Installation options

Electrical Energy Storage is suitable for both already installed and new renewable generation and can also be coupled to fossil fuel generators for various reasons (see our off-grid offerings).

  • New Installations – When carrying out new Solar PV, wind and hydro installations with battery storage the inverters specified will carry out the job of converting solar energy and charging batteries (DC coupled inverter/chargers).
  • Existing Installations – For Solar PV installations that are already installed – with most cases we opt for an overhaul to the system. This includes replacement inverters, solar array performance tests and panel cleaning leaving your arrays to perform to their full potentials. With regard to wind and hydro power the most likely action will be to fit additional inverter/chargers solely for the battery storage.

Backup Power During Blackouts

We often get asked – ‘What about when the grid goes down?’ The good news is we have multiple solutions to providing battery power even during a power outage. We can offer single phase domestic backup systems for small dwellings or three phase commercial backup systems for industry and agriculture – the only question being – how long do you need power for?

Approved and Accredited Installers

At CES it’s important to us that we’re always at the forefront of the industry we serve. A big part of this is ensuring our staff are trained to the highest standards. As proof of our continued development we are proud to be qualified and approved to the following battery standards;

CES – Trust in Electrical Engineers proven in the Solar Industry

Having worked in the industry for over 13 years you can rest assured our engineers have been there, done that and most certainly have the t-shirts to prove it. For free, friendly, trusted advice on all things energy storage, give us a call today on 01743 850067.