Impact of Extreme Weather on Sizing Battery Energy Storage Systems: A Case Study of Fairbanks, Alaska

Efficient operation of battery energy storage systems (BESSs) requires a limited battery temperature range. The effects of parasitic heating and cooling loads on the optimal sizing of BESSs are investigated in this paper. Peak shaving is presented as a linear programming (LP) problem formulated in the PYOMO optimization programming language. The building energy simulation software EnergyPlus models the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) load of the BESS enclosure. A case study is analyzed in Fairbanks, Alaska, considering a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) battery type and whether the power conversion system (PCS) is inside or outside the enclosure. The analysis illustrates that the HVAC load can have a large impact on the optimal energy and power capacities of an energy storage system and that insulating and including the PCS in the enclosure can reduce overall costs.