SOLAR STANDARDS
THE LATEST ON THE AUSTRALIAN BATTERY PERFORMANCE TESTING STANDARD PROJECT Dannielle Furness
Just on 12 months ago, the development of an Australian Battery Performance Standard (ABPS) was announced. Why was the standard necessary and what’s the latest news?
D
omestic photovoltaic (PV) solar systems are used extensively in Australia. Relative to population, we have one of the highest uptake rates of solar technology in the world. According to the 2019 Clean Energy Australia report, published by the Clean Energy Council in 2018, the number of Australian households with rooftop solar systems has passed the 2 million mark — that’s a staggering one in five households. That high participation rate can be attributed to a couple of things: 1. Plenty of sunshine. Our high levels of solar irradiance mean most Australian capitals boast annual days of sunshine in the mid-200s — an obvious requirement when opting for a solar power system. 2. Our retail energy pricing is among the highest in the world. The result of a range of conditions, including a reliance on non-renewable sources, distribution network upgrades, major facility closures and general wholesale price rises, Australians have been told that high energy prices are here to stay. No wonder, then, that consumers are seeking alternatives and turning to solar in record numbers, with the battery energy storage market expected to explode in the short term. Despite huge uptake, the absence of a battery energy storage system (BESS) performance testing standard makes it difficult for consumers to
24 ECD [ELECTRICAL+COMMS+DATA] - AUGUST 2019
make a well-informed choice when investing in home batteries and rooftop solar systems.
Purpose and participants To alleviate this issue, in June 2018 a consortium, led by testing and certification agency DNV GL, commenced a two-year, two-stage project designed to deliver a draft Australian BESS performance standard (Draft Standard), under which battery performance can be tested and articulated. DNV GL says the standard is developed for two user groups: • The primary group is manufacturers (and systems integrators) of batteries and BESS. The standard will provide primary users with recommended practices for testing of BESS components and the associated reporting requirements. This is the information that must be included in product documentation (such as data sheets) and provided to end users. • The secondary group encompasses end users of batteries and BESS. Here it aims to enable informed choices regarding the performance of different offerings, with respect to the intended application. The standard is designed to provide confidence that the reported performance metrics are relevant and comparable between the different manufacturers’ systems.
www.ecdonline.com.au