Large-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems

While the overall rate of BESS failure incidents has continued to decrease, recent BESS failures have received significant media attention. EPRI is conducting research on the risk of BESS failures to better understand the likelihood and impact of failures based on different factors. Collaboration on BESS safety and industry transparency will be essential to safety improvement efforts and reducing the risk of failures.

This talk will offer insights into the collaborative development of battery safety guidelines, drawing from the joint efforts of energy storage alliances and manufacturer-specific solutions. It will explore how these combined perspectives are shaping comprehensive safety protocols and advancing risk mitigation across the large-scale BESS ecosystem.

BESS are a critical element to enable new data centers, industrial electrification, and EV charging. BESS are also a key technology in the transition to a more flexible, digitalized grid run on power electronics. We will review BESS applications that system integrators, utility customers, and developers can use to solve challenges—whether for market participation, supporting network operators, or behind-the-meter electricity optimization, highlighting key requirements for successful deployment and operation.

As transmission-connection energy storage systems regularly top 1 GWh, grids worldwide depend more than ever on reliable performance. Battery intelligence is key: from controls that adapt to state-of-health, to dynamic degradation prediction, to multifaceted balance, and state-of-charge management, to mitigating cyber threats. Learn more about the current state of battery intelligence in large scale energy storage systems from Fluence, a leading global provider.

Grid-scale battery energy storage demands accurate modeling and qualification methods tailored to long lifetime expectations. Stationary cells face partial cycling, prolonged idle periods, temperature gradients, and extended low-rate usage conditions often overlooked in standard test protocols and battery model development. Cell-to-cell variation and evolving characteristics over time complicate lifetime prediction. Robust, purpose-built approaches are essential to capture these factors and ensure reliable forecasting and performance throughout decades of operation.

Explainable AI is redefining advanced BMS capabilities for large-scale battery energy storage systems. New approaches in data-driven modeling enable more accurate SoC/SoH estimation, early anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance that enhances system availability. Transparent AI methods also strengthen operator trust, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle traceability. Together, these advancements support safer, more efficient, and more sustainable grid-scale storage while laying the groundwork for emerging digital battery passport requirements.

This presentation explores the evolving landscape of long-duration energy storage, highlighting key technological innovations, IP developments, and market trends. Leveraging a comprehensive analysis of companies, investment dynamics, and cost structures, attendees will gain actionable insights into the economic viability and commercialization pathways of emerging energy storage technologies.

Peak Energy will present progress on NFPP/HC sodium-ion cell development for grid-scale storage, highlighting advancements in prismatic-cell testing, electrochemical modeling, and degradation mapping. Early integration work at the module and string level reveals system behavior under grid-relevant duty cycles, with emphasis on thermal dynamics and design flexibility. The presentation will also outline strategic considerations for North American manufacturing and materials sourcing. Attendees will gain insight into upcoming validation activities and explore collaboration opportunities across the sodium-ion value chain.

• Performance and design updates from large-format NFPP/HC sodium-ion cells
• System-integration insights from module and string-level evaluations
• North American scale-up strategy
  

This session reviews 2025 ESS deployment trends in North America, with a focus on the applications now driving growth, including AI data centers, and fleet electrification. We’ll examine where deployments are rising, how use cases are evolving, and what these shifts mean for storage providers navigating the next phase of the market.