A survey of battery energy storage system (BESS), applications and environmental impacts in power systems

A brief discussion is presented regarding the current development and applications of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) from the recent achievements in both the academic research and commercial sectors. It is reviewed the architecture of BESS, the applications in grid scale and its benefits of implementing it in power systems. BESS can help to improve the penetration levels of RES (renewable energy resources), and it is listed some of the most relevant application where BESS plays an important role. Also, it is summarized the criteria used to assess the environmental impacts of BESS and how it is compared with conventional units. Finally, some study cases are presented and where BESS have been tested.