Lately on Let’s Talk Energy, Toromont Power Systems monthly webinar, experts and clients were discussing the pros and cons of batteries vs. reciprocating engines. Here is what we gathered from it.
The demand for power is always growing and getting harder to predict. Power sources are multiplying and getting more and more complex. And, with a growing concern for sustainability and the introduction of many government incentives to reduce our carbon footprint, it is only natural to observe a trend setting around solar and wind power. Since those two types of energy need to be stored, the demand for batteries is also growing rapidly making it gradually more affordable and accessible.
As the costs of batteries continue to decline and the use of renewables continues to increase, battery energy storage systems become can become an interesting solution to supply emergency power, be a main source of power or supplement grid power. Those applications used to be relying mainly on reciprocating engines but in today’s world, there are more questions to be asked before a choice can be made between batteries or reciprocating engines.
Batteries can supply energy at a low cost when charged with the wind or sun but they don’t last long. They are a cleaner and more discreet source of power, instantaneously available but come with higher fire hazard and need a lot of room inside your installation. Reciprocating engines cost more to operate because they use fuel or gas but they can run as long as you want as long as there’s fuel. They make more noise, take a few seconds to start and emit N02 and C02 but they are relatively safe to use, they don’t take a lot of space and are generally installed outside. There is also a more complex calculation of the cost to do for the purchase, the maintenance and the operation. We can see that both are interesting and both have their limitations and downsides and that is why nowadays in the power generation world the solution is not just positive or negative, it’s customized to context and needs and therefore it is now often going to be a hybrid solution combining many technologies and power sources together.
That was the case of Iridian Spectral Technologies, a lenses and optical fibres manufacturer for whom a steady stream of power was crucial to protect the sophisticated and sensitive equipment they use. Any power loss, outage or fluctuation would have big financial and operational consequences that played a major role in their decision. After looking at many possible solutions and configurations, they decided to integrate solar panels with UPS using lithium ion batteries and a natural gas generator to create their hybrid installation. That would allow them to use 100% of the solar energy they could get, have UPS to steady the stream and act as a buffer for when they have to use their generator during an outage or to supplement during peak events.
Experts are saying that more and more companies are now considering a combination of technologies and power sources to create their systems and they foresee that with the wide range of options now offered, a lot of industries will be building their own power micro grid to be self-reliant.
If you want to know more about batteries vs. reciprocating engines, learn more about their ideal applications or learn more about Iridian's hybrid power solution, you can now watch the full version of the Let’s Talk Energy webinar here.
