Pulse Clean Energy has today (18 February) released an industry-first tool allowing battery energy storage system (BESS) asset managers to track and certify the carbon emissions saved by BESS usage.
The UK BESS Carbon Emissions Calculator tool, created in collaboration with LCP Delta and the UK’s National Wealth Fund, is designed to grant a better understanding of the positive environmental impact of BESS developments. With batteries being used primarily to store excess renewable energy at times of high generation and then feed it back into the grid at times of high demand, thus reducing reliance on fossil fuels, they have an undoubtedly positive impact on carbon emissions. However, there has previously been no standardised way to measure the exact emissions savings from individual BESS projects, meaning that asset owners, investors and policymakers have lacked reliable data to back up sustainable claims and inform improvements.
The new tool solves this issue by leveraging real-time data from Elexon, the UK’s electricity market operator, to calculate emissions data in half-hour periods, as opposed to the previous method of relying on average emissions figures from the National Energy System Operator (NESO). This provides a more accurate report of how BESS assets impact carbon emissions.
The tool is free and open-source, and Pulse Clean Energy is encouraging all BESS investors, asset owners and other stakeholders to implement the tool in order to help verify and quantify the positive role that BESS developments are having in reducing the UK’s carbon emissions impact. Pulse Clean Energy also notes that while the tool was primarily designed with batteries and other energy storage technologies in mind, the calculator can also be used with other renewable energy asset types, including wind and solar.
Aazzum Yassir, director of technology & operations at Pulse Clean Energy, commented: “The UK BESS Carbon Emissions Calculator is a real opportunity to drive the industry forward and cement its credibility in the energy transition. There is currently a lack of consistency in how emission reduction figures are calculated, which can reduce our ability to monitor and improve our asset performance.
“By encouraging our industry peers to use this tool and standardise their methodology, we can build the support we need from investors and policymakers to keep innovating and delivering on growth. We won’t get to net zero without understanding the true impact of the technologies we’re building to get us there.”
