Peak loads are a reality in many operations where electricity consumption spikes at certain times. These peaks drive up electricity bills, because electricity providers need to keep the output available constantly just in case, even if it is only briefly required. This makes it difficult to plan if and when the next peak will happen. To account for this uncertainty, providers raise their bills. Just one peak load can cause costs for the billing period to soar.
The background: where annual consumption exceeds 100,000 kWh, this is charged at the kilowatt-hour rate per kWh and the demand rate per maximum number of kWh required within 15 minutes. If the maximum average power level is exceeded within a defined time interval, the customer/consumer then has to pay their energy supplier a higher kilowatt-hour rate over the entire billing period – even if this peak only happens once.
This is where TESVOLT battery storage systems come in – with physical peak shaving or peak shaving with a registered load profile (RLM). In both cases, the electricity drawn by installations and machines is controlled so that peak load energy needs are met straight from the battery storage system rather than from the utility grid. This means that load peaks are shaved with physical PS and dynamically balanced with RLM PS. In both cases, this helps customers avoid higher electricity tariffs and cuts their operating costs.
If a peak load occurs, the battery storage system provides additional electricity alongside the power drawn from the grid. This reduces the amount of electricity drawn from the grid to a specified amount. The storage system is then continually charged from the electricity grid or from a PV installation.
With physical peak shaving (PS), every consumption peak that occurs over a defined threshold is simply covered by electricity from the battery storage system, while for registering load profile measurement (RLM) during dynamic load shaving the system works at 15-minute intervals to ensure greater accuracy and therefore also greater efficiency: The maximum consumption peak tolerated by the supplier is circumvented because the amount of electricity consumed is registered over a period of 15 minutes to permit short peak loads. The TESVOLT Energy Manager only kicks in when the average consumption threatens to exceed the maximum tolerated peak value within the 15-minute interval.
Since the storage system only releases the amount of electricity that is absolutely necessary, its capacity lasts longer without charging. This reduces the number of full cycles and thus the impact on the storage system. This increases cost efficiency. Another option is a storage system with a lower capacity, which cuts the investment costs.
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