An industrial battery makes your energy consumption controllable.

A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is an industrial storage system that buffers electricity and releases it when needed. In practice, you connect a BESS to your PV system and the grid. The system charges when energy is cheap or abundant, and discharges when energy is expensive or when your consumption peaks. The added value lies not in the storage itself, but in the control—via an Energy Management System (EMS) that decides in real time when and how the battery is used.

A BESS is the physical storage system: the battery cells, inverter, and safety systems. An EMS is the software that handles the control. Based on market prices, consumption patterns, and forecasts, the EMS decides when the BESS should charge, discharge, or feed power back into the grid. Without an EMS, a BESS remains passive. With a good EMS, a battery becomes an active tool in your energy strategy.

Your capacity charge is determined by your highest monthly power peak. Peak shaving means smoothing out those peaks by drawing energy from the battery at critical moments instead of drawing it from the grid. This allows you to structurally reduce your capacity charge without having to adjust your processes. Companies with steep, short peaks—such as production lines, compressors, or charging infrastructure—benefit the most from this.

It varies widely and depends on your consumption profile, energy contract, capacity charge, and the combination of use cases. Typically, payback periods for industrial BESS installations range from 4 to 6 years. Companies that combine multiple use cases—self-consumption, peak shaving, and energy trading—generally achieve the shortest payback period. Solora calculates the specific business case based on your data.

Through three channels. First, by increasing your self-consumption and drawing less power from the expensive grid. Second, through peak shaving, which structurally lowers your capacity charge. Third, through energy trading: charging energy cheaply and discharging or feeding it back into the grid when the market price is high. The latter requires a well-calibrated EMS and market knowledge—exactly what Solora integrates.

The capacity charge is part of your distribution grid costs, based on your highest 15-minute average power consumption per month. The higher your peak, the more you pay—even if that peak occurs only a few times a year. A BESS can smooth out those peaks by delivering energy from the battery at the right moment. For businesses with high and volatile consumption, this quickly results in significant cost savings.

The current generation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries has a typical lifespan of 10 to 15 years under intensive use, depending on the number of charge-discharge cycles and operating conditions. With proper sizing and management, a BESS remains economically viable for a long time. Solora continuously monitors performance and makes adjustments as needed.

Yes, provided it is properly installed and managed. Today’s industrial BESS systems are designed with extensive safety features: thermal management, fire detection, emergency shutdown, and enclosures that comply with applicable standards. LFP batteries are more thermally stable than other lithium chemistries. Solora installs systems in compliance with all applicable safety and fire insurance standards and continuously monitors the installation after completion.

That depends on the location, the size of the system, and how the battery is configured. For many commercial battery projects, a notification or environmental permit is required, while smaller installations can sometimes be installed without a permit. In addition, the impact on the grid connection must be coordinated with Fluvius, and additional fire safety regulations may apply. Solora guides you through the entire process, from permit screening and grid analysis to coordination with Fluvius, the municipality, and any other relevant authorities.

Yes, and that is precisely the most common application. You connect a BESS to your existing PV system via the EMS. Excess solar energy that you would otherwise feed into the grid at low or negative rates is now stored and used at the right time. For older systems, it may be necessary to upgrade certain components to ensure smooth integration.

Absolutely. A BESS isn’t only useful in combination with solar energy. Even without PV, you can use a battery for peak shaving, emergency power backup, or energy trading via the grid. The business case is structured differently in those cases. Solora analyzes which use cases are profitable for your specific situation.

In the event of an EMS failure, the system switches to a preconfigured safe mode: the battery stops active operations, but basic protection remains active. Solora provides redundancy at critical system levels and monitors the system 24/7. In the event of anomalies, alarms are triggered automatically and proactive measures are taken.

Grid congestion occurs when the power grid is overloaded locally or regionally: demand for transmission exceeds the infrastructure’s capacity. This has direct consequences for businesses. Grid operators may refuse new connections, limit existing capacity, or curtail solar energy feed-in during peak times. For businesses with a large PV system or plans for expansion, grid congestion is a real barrier today. A BESS offers a partial solution: by buffering energy locally instead of feeding it directly into the grid, you reduce the strain on the grid and keep your system operational within the permitted capacity. When combined with an EMS, the battery can also proactively respond to grid conditions.