What is a sodium-sulfur battery?

Sodium-sulfur batteries are mature electrochemical energy storage devices with high-energy densities. According to Aquino et al. (2017a), they are primarily provided by a single Japanese-based vendor— NGK Insulators—which, to date, has installed 450 MW of the technology worldwide.

How much does a sodium-sulfur battery cost?

Figure 5.1. Example input values for annualized cost calculation for a sodium-sulfur battery. Using these inputs, the total net present value (NPV) of the total cumulative cost for the 1 MW/4 MWh storage system after tax, insurance, and other factors described is calculated to be just over $4 million, of which nearly 71 percent is CAPEX-based.

What is a standard NaS battery container?

A standard single NAS battery container has 1.45 MWh energy capacity. The containers are stackable, enabling utility scale energy storage systems. We supply containerized NAS battery systems: one standard 20-ft container has 1.45 MWh energy capacity. The compact form enables easy transportation and quick installation at our customers' sites.

How are battery energy storage costs forecasted?

Forecast procedures are described in the main body of this report. C&C or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs can be estimated using the footprint or total volume and weight of the battery energy storage system (BESS). For this report, volume was used as a proxy for these metrics.

What are the most cost-effective energy storage technologies?

Overall, on a $/kWh basis, PSH and CAES are the most cost-effective energy storage technologies evaluated within this report. Energy storage technologies serve a useful purpose by offering flexibility in terms of targeted deployment across the distribution system. Pathways to lower the $/kWh of the battery technologies have been defined.