12.8 KW Lithium Battery Versus Diesel Generator: A Technical Showdown

The Power Quality: The Generator waveform has the THD, which is not as smooth as the BESS as the BESS has the Pure Sinewave and accurate frequency and as the Load varies, there is no deterioration as the Generator Waveform keeps varying along with the small change in frequency. So, the THD of both Generator and BESS are not comparable.

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3 phase Waveform of BESS

• BESS provides instant power backup.

One of the main benefits of BESS is that, unlike DG sets, which break in the event of a power outage, ESS does not have this problem. This technology has no jerks or breaks as it starts immediately. BESS is automatic and seamless, starkly contrasting to DG systems that require roughly a minute to resume the Electricity through the Generator.

• The running cost of BESS is low.

The cost of running a diesel generator is three times or more than the power provided by the power company, making ESS a special and less expensive solution than running a diesel generator.

As the BESS has a battery as a backup, the consumption per unit of Electricity produced is further decreased in cases of 50% or 70% ESS loading, as opposed to diesel generators, where the cost is unaffected by lower Load because the diesel consumption doesn’t vary significantly.https://suvastika.com/products/energy-storage-system/

• BESS has a longer lifespan

The BESS has a shelf life of 50 years as compared to the diesel generator’s 10-year lifespan. Even their battery can last between 7 and 10 years, representing significant cost-savings.

• ESS is easier and cheaper to maintain

Diesel generators contain moving parts and require a battery to start automatically, making it important to service them every 300 hours or even less in some cases. Since a DG set includes moving parts, we also need an attendant to fill it up with Diesel. However, an attendant is unnecessary for the ESS because it has no moving parts.

IOT-based monitoring: The BESS has an in-built system to monitor each parameter on the mobile phone or the computer, and the Self Diagnostic feature is there to do the diagnostics remotely and find the faults. Every BESS has the feature to update the latest software remotely.

• BESS can run on Solar

The cost of the system can be recovered in 2 to 3 years if we include a solar feature that allows the batteries to be charged using solar energy. Since solar panels can last up to 25 years, the cost of power generation is also significantly reduced.

There is no substitute for such a low cost of Electricity because the solar-powered ESS can be built anywhere there is space for solar panels and where solar energy can be used effectively. Even with power on the grid, this system can run on solar and battery power if available since the power cost will be far lower per unit than the cost of grid power. This will save money on Electricity even when power is available on the grid.

Therefore, it is safe to say that ESS is the future of power backup, given all these benefits over DG sets.

The cost of a Diesel Generator of 20 KVA is approximately four lakhs, and the cost of a 12.5 KW battery with a 20KVA Lithium Inverter will be less than four lakhs, where the cost of purchasing Diesel becomes zero. The life of the battery will last for at least seven years, and the cost of Diesel one will buy will be more than 2 lakh a year. So clearly, the Battery Energy Storage with Lithium battery will be a clear-cut winner.