Energy storage battery contract project

What is the general contracting structure for a battery energy storage system?

The first, and the topic of an earlier article, is the general contracting structure. Developers of battery energy storage system, or BESS, projects are using a multi-contractor, split-scope contracting structure instead of the more traditional single-contractor, turnkey approach. (See "Battery Purchase Contracts" in the December 2021 NewsWire .)

How do energy storage contracts work?

For standalone energy storage contracts, these are typically structured with a fixed monthly capacity payment plus some variable cost per megawatt hour (MWh) of throughput. For a combined renewables-plus-storage project, it may be structured with an energy-only price in lieu of a fixed monthly capacity payment.

Do energy storage tolling agreements restrict a developer's use of a battery?

As the energy stored in the battery belongs to the buyer, energy storage tolling agreements will often prohibit or restrict the developer’s use of the storage system for station service. The inclusion of this condition requires that the developer enters into a retail service contract for the system’s non-storage load.

What is an energy storage tolling agreement?

Under an energy storage tolling agreement, the developer of the energy storage system is responsible for obtaining site control, permits, interconnection rights, equipment, and construction contracts, as well as achieving agreed-upon milestones such as a target commercial operation date and a guaranteed commercial operation date.

Should a battery procurement contract aggregate liability in a collective project?

For example, if a developer has a number of projects supplying battery storage under a single offtake contract, then it might prefer a single battery procurement contract aggregating liability in the collective project, given that liability under the offtake contract may be connected for failure to develop the collective project.

How does a battery storage system work?

The storage provider receives a capacity payment —which is adjusted for the battery storage system’s availability and round-trip efficiency—as well as a variable O&M payment for energy dispatched by the system.