Battery Energy Storage
Most storage projects are specified in megawatts. That number tells you almost nothing.
A 1 MW battery can hold 1 MWh or 4 MWh. The cost differs by a factor of four, and so does what the system can earn. Capacity determines how much energy you can shift; power determines how fast you can deliver it; duration is the ratio between them. Each maps to a different revenue stream.
We size storage against the revenue model the project is being built for, and we state what each configuration costs and returns.
Power, capacity and duration are three separate decisions.Co-located with Generation
Storage installed alongside solar or wind, sharing land, transformer, switchgear and grid connection.
This is the most common configuration in our markets, and increasingly a licensing requirement rather than a choice. Several regional regimes now condition new generation capacity on a minimum storage installation with a defined minimum duration.
Co-location is also the cheapest way to build storage. Shared infrastructure removes the land, connection and transformer costs that a standalone system carries alone — typically fifteen to twenty-five percent of total capital cost.
Standalone Systems
Grid-connected storage operating independently of generation, earning from arbitrage, balancing services and capacity mechanisms.
The economics depend heavily on the market. Where ancillary service markets are developed and accessible, standalone storage can be strongly profitable. Where revenue rests on day-ahead arbitrage alone, it usually is not. We assess which applies before recommending the investment.
Commercial and Industrial
Sizing and configuration against the revenue case. DC- versus AC-coupled architecture. Power conversion system selection. Thermal management and liquid cooling. Fire detection and suppression to applicable standards. Grid code compliance and system operator interface. Degradation modelling and warranty structuring.
Engineering Scope
Peak shaving, demand charge reduction, backup supply and self-consumption optimisation for industrial and commercial sites.
Here the value is in avoided cost rather than earned revenue, which changes the sizing logic entirely. The system is dimensioned against the site's load profile and tariff structure, not against its solar capacity.
Operations
Storage is frequently sold on optimistic arbitrage assumptions. We do not present it that way.
Where the numbers support the investment, we show why. Where storage is a regulatory obligation rather than a return-generating asset, we say so — and design it to satisfy the obligation at the lowest cost consistent with future revenue opportunities.
Our Position
Storage requires active management that solar does not. Charge and discharge strategy, depth of discharge control, cycle scheduling and thermal management all affect revenue and asset life simultaneously.
Operating aggressively against a wide spread earns more today and shortens warranty life. We manage that trade-off explicitly and report it.
Utility-scale
Development — site assessment, land securing, zoning, grid connection, permitting and licensing.
Engineering — resource modelling, layout optimisation, electrical and civil design, grid compliance.
Investment — financial modelling, capital structuring, lender documentation, transaction support.
Construction — turnkey EPC, or owner's engineer supervision where another contractor is appointed.
Operations — monitoring, maintenance, market operations, compliance and reporting.
Each is available separately. Most clients take the full sequence, because the value of a single accountable partner is highest on the technology where the most decisions are made.
