Lab launches energy-storage performance testing

Dutch energy consulting firm KEMA is offering expanded energy storage performance testing solutions at its new laboratory located at the KEMA-Powertest facility in Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

According to KEMA, the offering is the US’ first comprehensive component-to-megawatt-system testing service for the rapidly evolving energy-storage industry.

KEMA’s energy storage performance testing verifies the performance, interoperability and integration of any energy storage system. The testing is conducted on a single component cell or stack level through to utility-scale, megawatt systems. The performance testing uses a utility grid interconnection to test large-scale systems in their desired application for up to 2 megawatts, which the company says is unique in the industry. KEMA also applies field testing up to any power level, and tests performance through any application such as renewable integration, peak shaving and frequency regulation.

“It is important to test at the three levels — cell and stack, system scale, and in the field up to any power level,” said Paul Leufkens, president of KEMA-Powertest. “Testing at each level of complexity helps identify and fix any weak parts in the system. It’s an integrated process to test on the small scale, see what you can do there, then derive ‘model’ rules, apply and check on system scale, and confirm at site. Ultimately, it is about the performance that a utility may expect from a system.”

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