What Should You Consider Before Installing a High Voltage Battery?
Planning a High Voltage Battery Energy Storage System
Choosing a high voltage battery is only one part of developing an energy storage system. Before installation, businesses should consider the intended application, energy requirements, inverter compatibility, system configuration and operating environment.
This is particularly important for commercial and industrial installations, where battery storage may need to integrate with solar generation, grid-tied equipment, VSD applications or other electrical infrastructure.
Start With the Application
The battery system should be selected around what it needs to do.
Consider:
- How much energy needs to be stored?
- What equipment will the system support?
- What are the expected operating periods?
- Is the system being integrated with solar?
- Is future expansion likely?
- What environmental conditions will the battery operate in?
- Answering these questions helps establish the appropriate battery configuration.
Inverter Compatibility Matters
A high voltage battery cannot simply be selected independently of the rest of the system. Communication and electrical compatibility between the battery and inverter are important considerations during system design.
LBSA provides battery user manuals and inverter-to-battery documentation through its Data & Downloads section. Its VSD battery range also identifies inverter approval information for relevant products.
Consider Future Expansion
Energy requirements can change as a business grows. A modular battery architecture can provide greater flexibility where future capacity increases are anticipated.
The Rhino IntelliFlex High Voltage Battery is designed around modular configuration, with LBSA specifying configurations from three to eleven modules and expansion of up to 60 batteries in parallel.
Don't Overlook Safety
Safety should form part of the planning process from the beginning. Consider the battery's monitoring, protection and fire-suppression features alongside its capacity and electrical characteristics.
For applications where additional fire protection is important, LBSA's StormGuard Inferno High Voltage Battery incorporates integrated Fireblock suppression technology.
Work From the Complete System
The right high voltage battery depends on the complete installation rather than one specification. Reviewing the application, inverter compatibility, required capacity, expansion plans and safety requirements provides a stronger starting point for selecting an appropriate energy storage solution.