While the energy storage (ES) and distributed energy resources (DER) markets are poised to grow substantially and take on an increasingly vital role in the composition of the electric power grid, solutions to provide the full range of performance, flexibility, reliability, and resilience for ES-based DER and microgrid installations at scale in large numbers and cumulative capacity in the power grid are not advancing sufficiently to keep pace with the need. We propose an enhanced control, communication, and decision-making system (ECCDS) for deployed battery energy storage systems (BESS) targeted at improving performance of DC-coupled commercial-industrial solar plus energy microgrids designed to flexibly provide local energy and resiliency benefits along with grid services. In Phase I of this project, will develop refined concepts and a feasibility assessment for an innovative high-performing control and decision support system that can simultaneously optimize ES return on investment from multiple value streams and life-cycle cost and return by integrating battery life and degradation into the real-time controls. This project will address important challenges still to be overcome to elevate the reliability and performance of grid-connected ES-based microgrids to enable a significantly larger future role projected for these systems in the electric power grid, and increasingly transitioning to clean energy sources.
