Energy Storage

Energy storage research at the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) is focused on solutions that maximize efficiency and value for a variety of energy storage technologies.

Photo of a researcher working on the residential battery test bed in the Energy Systems Integration Facility.

With variable energy resources comprising a larger mix of energy generation, storage has the potential to smooth power supply and support the transition to renewable energy. The ESIF provides an unmatched research space to explore energy storage pathways at the intersection of technologies and domains.

At the ESIF, diverse energy storage capabilities enable researchers to study and improve the state of the art in storage technologies, including residential and utility battery systems, hydrogen generation from renewable electricity, virtual power plants, and more. As industry and stakeholder interest in energy storage increases, the ESIF supports research to enhance the functionality and integration of this broad technological space.

The ESIF Advantage

Residential Battery Experimentation Platform

NREL's residential battery experimentation platform provides stakeholders with a better understanding of how batteries work for any use (backup, self-consumption, arbitrage), from any vendor, in any climate. It helps connect the dots among consumer battery performance, life-cycle economic value, and customer interests; and with remote access capabilities and an automated function, users can easily control experiments online and off-site with this research platform. The residential battery experimentation platform replicates every aspect of a residential battery system in the ESIF—from utility rate designs to state of charge for consumer battery systems.

Renewable Electrolysis Platform

NREL's renewable electrolysis platform is used to study the transformation of renewable electricity into other storable energy sources, such as hydrogen and natural gas. The renewable electrolysis platform integrates renewable generation with hydrogen electrolyzers and storage infrastructure to help utilities and developers study the coproduction of electricity and hydrogen.

Energy storage research at the ESIF is connected to lab-wide efforts to advance and integrate storage solutions. Learn more about NREL's research in energy storage.

Contact

Adarsh Nagarajan

Group Manager, Power Systems Design and Planning

Adarsh.Nagarajan@nrel.gov
303-275-4585


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