Executive Summary

The deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is rapidly increasing throughout the world. This technology presents many opportunities for increasing contributions of variable renewable energy technologies, providing ancillary services, enabling energy access to remote areas, and increasing resilience during grid power outages. At the same time, BESS has not been widely deployed and operated in many contexts. The use of BESS requires codes and standards similar to those for other inverter-based technologies but may also necessitate special safety considerations in specific contexts. As countries in Asia consider the inclusion of BESS in their power systems to meet policy objectives, renewable energy goals, increase resilience, and expand energy access, there is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of other regions and jurisdictions that have developed more advanced storage markets and practices.

This report presents global best practices of codes, standards, and interconnection procedures developed to support the safe and reliable deployment of BESS. Several relevant case studies highlight current efforts to ensure safe operation of BESS and showcase potential pathways for adoption of relevant codes and standards. Specifically, this report is intended to support the Thailand Office of Energy Regulatory Commission (OERC) and other stakeholders in their efforts to develop technical codes and standards to govern the installation and operation of BESS; it may also be utilized as a guide for other countries as interest in the deployment of BESS technologies continues to grow. Coupled with well-defined regulatory objectives, market incentives, permitting procedures, and technical review processes, the adoption of technical codes and standards that govern the design, construction, installation, and operation of BESS can help provide regulatory certainty, as well as reduce barriers to investment. Such codes and standards also ensure BESS deployment will meet national, regional, and local goals, while maintaining a reliable grid, and ensuring public safety.

Finally, a robust BESS market can support the increased adoption of variable renewable energy generation technologies to meet Thailand’s energy portfolio goals. This report has been prepared by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia, and in collaboration with USAID Clean Power Asia.

Download full report https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/78780.pdf