What does BESS mean?

BESS stands for Battery Energy Storage System – a technology that stores electrical energy and releases it when needed. In times of increasingly volatile renewable generation, a BESS plays a key role in stabilising the grid, ensuring supply security and improving overall energy system efficiency.

What is a BESS?

A BESS combines modern battery technology with inverters, a battery management system (BMS) and intelligent control software. These systems are used in a wide range of applications – from private households to industrial facilities and grid-supporting services.

How does a BESS work?

A BESS stores surplus energy – for example, from photovoltaic or wind power – and releases it later when demand is higher than supply or when electricity prices rise. It converts alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) for storage, and back into AC when the energy is needed again.

Smart energy management systems such as flexOn ensure that the BESS operates optimally in response to electricity prices, on-site PV production, grid conditions and production processes.

Why are BESS important?

Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are intermittent – their generation depends on weather and time of day. This creates volatility in energy supply. A BESS compensates for this volatility, helping to ensure a stable and reliable power supply.

In industrial applications, BESS are also used for load management and peak shaving – shifting consumption and reducing electricity costs.

What are the advantages of BESS?

For companies and industrial sites, BESS provide a range of tangible benefits:

• Load management: By shifting consumption and reducing peaks, companies can lower grid charges and operating costs – a major competitive advantage for high-consumption industries.
• Self-consumption optimisation: Businesses with on-site generation (e.g. PV systems) can store surplus energy and use it later during production peaks, avoiding expensive grid purchases.
• Cost savings: When combined with dynamic tariffs or price signals, BESS can be operated strategically to store or release energy when it is most economical.
• Decarbonisation: Increasing the share of renewables in company operations helps improve the carbon footprint and supports sustainability and ESG strategies.

How can companies determine if a BESS is worthwhile?

A battery simulation is an essential planning tool for designing and evaluating a battery storage system (BESS). Using digital models, various scenarios can be simulated – from optimal system sizing and performance to lifetime and cost-effectiveness.

These simulations integrate real consumption and generation data, tariff models and load profiles to find the most efficient configuration for each site. Modern software can also incorporate PV systems and dynamic grid charges, allowing all energy components – including battery storage – to be analysed as a single, integrated system.

This reduces investment risk and helps ensure the BESS is technically and economically optimised for the company’s needs.

Conclusion: Why BESS are key to the energy future

Battery Energy Storage Systems are a cornerstone of future energy systems. They enable flexible and efficient use of electricity, increase independence from market fluctuations and support the reduction of CO₂ emissions.

This means, that in the industrial sector, BESS are becoming indispensable – both as part of smart energy management strategies and as enablers of participation in flexibility markets. They are the bridge between renewable generation, economic efficiency and a secure, sustainable energy supply.