What are the commissioning activities of an energy storage system (ESS)?

Commissioning is required by the owner to ensure proper operation for the system warranty to be valid. The activities relative to the overall design / build of an energy storage system (ESS) are described next. The details of the commissioning activities are described in Section 2. Figure 1. Overall flow of ESS initial project phases

Do energy storage subsystems have to pass a factory witness test?

Each subsystem must pass a factory witness test (FWT) before shipping. (Note: The system owner reserves the right to be present for the factory witness test.) This is the first real step of the commissioning process—which occurs even before the energy storage subsystems (e.g., power conditioning equipment and battery) are delivered to the site.

What is a commissioning plan?

Commissioning is a required process in the start-up of an energy storage system. This gives the owner assurance that the system performs as specified. A Commissioning Plan prepared and followed by the project team can enable a straightforward and timely process, ensuring safe and productive operation following handoff.

What is a commissioning process?

Commissioning is a gated series of steps in the project implementation process that demonstrates, measures, or records a spectrum of technical performance and system behaviors. This chapter provides an overview of the commissioning process as well as the logical placement of commissioning within the sequence of design and installation of an ESS.

Which components of a battery energy storage system should be factory tested?

Ideally, the power electronic equipment, i.e., inverter, battery management system (BMS), site management system (SMS) and energy storage component (e.g., battery) will be factory tested together by the vendors. Figure 2. Elements of a battery energy storage system

What are the challenges in an ESS commissioning process?

Several challenges in an ESS commissioning process have been noted. All of these challenges can be minimized or avoided by careful planning. Design for Commissioning: Sometimes commissioning is complex or difficult if access to measurement points or data screens is not considered in advance.