Mobile Energy Storage + Generator Sets = The Ideal Combination

Listen to my conversation about Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with Adam Logue, Senior Account Representative with Cat Rental. We discuss how ESS can help combat rising fuels costs, emissions targets and noise requirements and how, when used in conjunction with a generator set, can deliver an optimal energy solution.

Email us: powerbytes@cat.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cat-electric-power/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caterpillar.Electric.Power/

Transcript

00:00:01 Ivan Buckner

Hello and welcome everyone to power bites. I am your host, Ivan Buckner. This month’s podcast topic is on energy storage systems. You may be wondering why we're discussing this topic.

00:00:11 Ivan Buckner

Well, often when people think of energy solutions, they think about diesel and gas generated sets or gas turbines. But more and more sophisticated power solutions are starting to include energy storage systems into their mix.

00:00:25 Ivan Buckner

So, let's talk, solutions. Today we have Adam Logue on the podcast today to talk about battery energy storage systems.

00:00:32 Ivan Buckner

Adam has a degree in business from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Yes, he's a Saluki. He's been with Caterpillar for four years. Currently, he's a senior sales Rep on the rental power team. Adam, welcome to power bytes.

00:00:48 Adam Logue

Hi, thanks for having me, Ivan. It's great to be here.

00:00:50 Ivan Buckner

Thank you for my understanding. Energy storage systems are essentially large batteries depending on their size, can hold hours and hours' worth of power for a range of applications.

00:01:01 Adam Logue

Yep, that's correct. There are actually several types of energy storage systems, but battery energy storage systems are becoming a really popular way to supplement traditional power because they can dispatch power quickly and easily.

00:01:13 Ivan Buckner

What I don't understand why the need for energy storage systems? Is it necessary?

00:01:18 Ivan Buckner

Wouldn't a generator set make more sense?

00:01:20 Adam Logue

That's a great question, Ivan. And in a lot of cases, the best combination is having both a generator set or other that be mobile or stationary and a battery storage system working together. Think about it this way. Imagine you have a site, and your generator set is running on a light load.

00:01:36 Ivan Buckner

You used the term light low. Think I know what you mean, but can you clarify that for me and our listeners?

00:01:42 Adam Logue

Yep, absolutely. What that means is that the generator set is running and producing significantly less power than what it's rated at.

00:01:48 Adam Logue

It's not advised to run a generator set on less than 30% of its load. If they do, it can actually cause a range of problems with the engine and the after treatment. Another consequence with running a generator on a light load is that it's an unnecessary waste of fuel because you're powering more engine than you need, right?

00:02:08 Adam Logue

Uhm.

00:02:09 Adam Logue

Now, obviously we and the customers don't want that.

00:02:13 Ivan Buckner

Why would someone allow their generator to run on a light load?

00:02:16 Adam Logue

Well, there are several reasons. Two common ones that we see are one, the generator said is just simply too big for the site. Sometimes people will rent a standard sized generator and, but they'll take it from site to site and some of their sites just need less power than others. Others is. Generators can run on the light load when the site has an asymmetric load profile. Well, what this means is the power required from the generator actually fluctuates.

00:02:44 Ivan Buckner

So you're saying that the battery energy storage system can help the generated set when it's running on the light load.

00:02:50 Adam Logue

Yeah, it can absolutely help. Let's look at an example. Let's say that you have a mobile generator set for your site but would only be running at maybe like a 20% load.

00:03:01 Adam Logue

If this was the case, what you'd want to do instead is power the site with your battery storage system and turn off your generator set completely.

00:03:10 Adam Logue

Now when the battery has depleted, your generator will automatically turn on and not only will it do that, but it'll actually charge the battery and power your load at the same time. Now charging the battery will require more power from the generator set, so it should not be running on a light load anymore. Now when the batteries are charged back up.

00:03:31 Adam Logue

The Gen. set will kick off and there's a seamless transition back.

00:03:34 Adam Logue

To battery power.

00:03:36 Adam Logue

Now, not only is the genset operating at a more efficient point on the load curve, the genset runtime will also be reduced. This means you maintain the engine health of the generator and still have reliable and consist of power to your site.

00:03:50 Ivan Buckner

Wow, that makes a lot of sense. Tell me this. Do you see a scenario when you wouldn't need a a generator?

00:03:58 Adam Logue

Do you mean?

00:03:59 Adam Logue

Just use a battery.

00:04:00 Ivan Buckner

Exactly. Just the battery.

00:04:02 Adam Logue

Yeah, well, there are. There are several combinations in which battery storage can play a role in overall solution. Now in some cases when it makes sense, some customers swap their generator set out for a battery storage system when used in conjunction with the solar panels, one customer actually had a generator set in a location that was really awkward to get to. They were running that generator for two or three hours a day. So every week they had to go out and refuel the generator. And it was really becoming inconvenient for the.

00:04:28 Adam Logue

So what they decided to do was is put a battery and solar panels out on the location. What that did was the solar panels actually charged the battery. The battery then provides those two to three hours a day of power, completely removing the generator set from the solution.

00:04:44 Adam Logue

Now this means that the customer didn't need to worry about going out to this remote location and topping off fuel and potentially having this spillage.

00:04:51 Ivan Buckner

Interesting. It sounds like customers can save money on fuel cost, right?

00:04:56 Adam Logue

Fuel cost savings is generally a benefit of using a battery storage system. Now whether that replaces or works in conjunction with the genset also is it can help to reduce your sight's greenhouse gas emissions because you're not running the generator set as much.

00:05:09 Ivan Buckner

What about the noise factor? Is there any?

00:05:12 Adam Logue

That's a great question Ivan. The battery storage system is a quieter solution than the.

00:05:18 Adam Logue

Now, if you think about the different types of events, maybe a golf outing or a trade show where you may not want that noise of a generator running in the background, the battery storage system could be a perfect option for those types of applications.

00:05:30 Ivan Buckner

Thanks for explaining that to me and our listeners. Adam, one last question, I feel like we haven't discussed why batteries that are mobile matter. Can you help me understand that?

00:05:41 Adam Logue

Yeah, absolutely. So having anything mobile gives people the flexibility to move their power around their site, especially if that site has a large footprint.

00:05:50 Adam Logue

Another interesting thing about a battery being mobile is the ability to move it around your site for charging purposes. If we think about the new electric machines, for example, the work site where the E machine is operating could be very remote from the charging port that they would need to get back to. Now in these scenarios the mobile battery can be used to bring the storage to the E machine to recharge mid shift without having to return the E machine back to the utility charging point. Saving some time.

00:06:20 Ivan Buckner

A mobile charging station. That's interesting, man. There're so many ways to use mobile energy storage, I feel like I need to get one.

00:06:27 Adam Logue

Ivan, it has been an exciting time to watch the demand for this type of power grow over the last couple of years.

00:06:32 Ivan Buckner

Let's continue to watch this space grow. Adam. Thank you. It's been nice having you on the show.

00:06:37 Adam Logue

Ivan, I really appreciate the opportunity to come on and speak with you. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks for having me.

00:06:42 Ivan Buckner

Thank you so much, Adam. This is the first time we've covered this topic on power bytes. I'm happy we it did help me understand how energy storage can be a part of the overall solution to our listeners. Thank you for tuning in today. If you have any feedback, please e-mail us at powerbytes@cat.com. That's power BYTES at cat.com. We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's podcast. Or ideas for future podcast.