To gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential advantages that come with BESS, it is ideal to divide the market based on user applications and sizes. Within BESS, there are three distinct segments: front-of-the-meter and BTM residential installations, typically ranging below 30 kWh (as shown in Exhibit 1).
The financial strategies for utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are greatly influenced by the unique characteristics of the regions in which providers establish themselves. Typically, players in this sector opt for a revenue stacking approach, which involves aggregating incomes from multiple sources. They may engage in supplementary offerings, arbitrage, and capacity auctions. For instance, numerous BESS installations in the United Kingdom presently focus on ancillary services like frequency regulation. In Italy, there are talented players who have achieved success by emerging victorious in one of the country's capacity auctions that prioritize renewable energy. On the other hand, in Germany, the focus is more on evading expensive grid enhancements in order to seize opportunities. The successful players in the FTM utility sector have recognized the importance of tailoring their approach to individual countries and their regulations, rather than relying on a singular, all-encompassing strategy.
From a technological standpoint, the primary factors that customers prioritize when it comes to batteries are cycle life and cost-effectiveness. Presently, lithium-ion batteries are prevailing because they fulfill customer requirements. In the past, the dominant choice for battery chemistry was a nickel manganese cobalt cathode. However, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has emerged as a more cost-effective alternative, surpassing it in popularity. (Customers of lithium iron phosphate are willing to acknowledge that LFP may have certain limitations compared to nickel batteries, particularly in terms of energy density.) Nevertheless, the scarcity of lithium has led to the exploration of various intriguing and promising battery technologies, with a particular focus on cell-based options like sodium-ion (Na-ion), sodium-sulfur (Na-S), metal-air, and flow batteries.
