Design and commissioning of a 5 MVA, 2.5 MWh battery energy storage system

Momentary and sustained power interruptions are some of the most difficult and important power quality problems facing many industrial and commercial users. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have the potential to provide versatile solutions to this problem for utility, industrial and commercial applications. This paper describes the design and commissioning of a 5 MVA, 2.5 MWh BESS which is now in operation at the GNB Battery Recycling Plant in Vernon, California. The BESS at Vernon provides the required power combined with both voltage and frequency control to allow the plant to tolerate disconnection from the utility grid without suffering unacceptable impacts on critical loads.