Battery Energy Storage System

Electrical Safety for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

Choosing a Grounded or Ungrounded Ground-fault Solution for BESS

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are large-scale battery systems for storing electrical energy. BESS has become an increasingly important component to maintain stability in the electrical grid as more distributed energy resources (DER) are integrated.  Distributed energy resources often are sources of electrical energy such as photovoltaic systems or wind turbines which do not have steady and controllable energy production. A BESS allows energy from an intermittent energy source to be stored when production capability is high and demand is low and then later be used in times of high demand or as a backup for critical systems.

The benefits of utilizing battery-supported distributed energy resources include cost savings, clean energy, and reduced downtime. It is vital that the electrical integrity of the systems is properly monitored to maintain the benefits as there are some safety hazards associated with battery systems when not properly maintained and monitored. Li-Ion fire is one such hazard that can occur due to ground faults or poorly maintained battery management systems.

Ungrounded BESS

BESS most commonly operate as ungrounded systems, which means all line conductors are intentionally isolated from ground. Ungrounded systems are capable of operating under a ground fault condition, making them especially useful for mission-critical electrical systems where unplanned downtime is particularly dangerous or expensive.  Although these systems can continue to operate with a single ground fault, it is vital to indicate and clear the first fault as quickly as possible. If the fault is not cleared, a second fault will eventually develop, and a line-to-line short will occur. Our insulation monitoring devices (IMDs) will give advanced notice of a first fault condition which allows for time to properly identify and clear the fault before a catastrophic issue arises. Bender offers a wide range of IMDs for virtually all sizes BESS, from small-scale deployments to large-scale, utility-grade systems.

Grounded BESS

Most BESS operate via an ungrounded system design, however, there are some grounded installations in use.  Grounded systems must also have proper ground fault protection to operate safely and minimize downtime. It is critical to monitor for ground faults at low leakage current levels to detect and clear issues before they trip a protection device (such as a breaker) and/or damage the batteries. Our residual current monitors (RCM) are able to detect low-level AC and DC ground faults to indicate minor issues before they become major issues, such as equipment fires or system shutdowns.

 

Minimize System Downtime
Electrical issues can be detected and located while keeping the installation fully energized.

Automatically Locate Faults
Automatic fault location provides remote diagnostic tools which eliminates the need to have technicians on site during the fault.

Increase Safety
Ground-fault location at packs and modules minimizes battery fire risk (with quick repair).

Reduce Maintenance Costs
Significant decrease in maintenance costs due to the accuracy of detection and decreased need for human interaction with the system.

Downloads

NameCategorySizeLanguageTimestampD-/B-Number
Product Overview ISOMETER®/ISOSCAN® Product Overviews 5.3 MB EN2024/02/1616.02.2024
Product Overview - Residual Current Monitoring Product Overviews 6.2 MB EN2023/11/0909.11.2023
Overview Brochure Product Overviews 10.3 MB EN2023/10/0202.10.2023
Electrical Safety in Control and Auxiliary Circuits Technical Article 632.6 KB EN2019/05/1313.05.2019
Battery Energy Storage Systems Flyer Flyers 2.5 MB EN2021/04/2121.04.2021
Insulation Fault Location Technical Information 112.4 KB EN2019/05/1313.05.2019

Products

Ground-Fault Monitoring, Ungrounded

ISOMETER® isoPV425 mit AGH420
ISOMETER® isoPV425 with AGH420

Ground-fault monitoring device for photovoltaic systems up to AC 690 V/DC 1000 V

ISOMETER® iso685…
ISOMETER® iso685 Series

Ground-fault detector for ungrounded AC/DC systems

ISOMETER® isoPV1685/isoPV1685PFR
ISOMETER® isoPV1685 Series

Ground-fault monitoring device for DC systems up to 1500 V in photovoltaic systems

ISOMETER® iso1685DP-425/isoHV1685D-425/isoLR1685DP-325
ISOMETER® iso1685DP/isoHV1685D/isoLR1685DP

Insulation monitoring device for unearthed AC, AC/DC and DC power supplies (IT systems)

ISOMETER® isoNAV685-D
ISOMETER® isoNAV685-D

Ground-fault monitoring device with instantaneous tripping, frequency nominal system voltage 60 Hz

ISOMETER® iso685-…-P
ISOMETER® iso685-…-P

Ground-fault monitoring device for demanding applications, variant with integrated system isolating switches and locating current injector

Ground-Fault Monitoring for Grounded Systems

LINETRAXX® SmartDetect RCMS410

Four-channel DC, AC and pulse current sensitive residual current monitor for earthed AC, AC/DC and DC systems

LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor

LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor with individual relay outputs

LINETRAXX® RCMB300-Serie
LINETRAXX® RCMB300 Series

AC/DC sensitive residual current monitoring modules for monitoring applications

Ground-Fault Location, Ungrounded

ISOSCAN® EDS440
ISOSCAN® EDS440 Series

Ground-fault location module for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Healthcare Isolated Power Panels

COM465IP Series
COM465IP Series

Condition Monitor with an integrated gateway for the connection of Bender devices to Ethernet-TCP/IP networks

Ground-Fault Monitoring, Ungrounded

ISOMETER® isoPV425 mit AGH420
ISOMETER® isoPV425 with AGH420

Ground-fault monitoring device for photovoltaic systems up to AC 690 V/DC 1000 V

Details
ISOMETER® iso685…
ISOMETER® iso685 Series

Ground-fault detector for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Details
ISOMETER® isoPV1685/isoPV1685PFR
ISOMETER® isoPV1685 Series

Ground-fault monitoring device for DC systems up to 1500 V in photovoltaic systems

Details
ISOMETER® iso1685DP-425/isoHV1685D-425/isoLR1685DP-325
ISOMETER® iso1685DP/isoHV1685D/isoLR1685DP

Insulation monitoring device for unearthed AC, AC/DC and DC power supplies (IT systems)

Details
ISOMETER® isoNAV685-D
ISOMETER® isoNAV685-D

Ground-fault monitoring device with instantaneous tripping, frequency nominal system voltage 60 Hz

Details
ISOMETER® iso685-…-P
ISOMETER® iso685-…-P

Ground-fault monitoring device for demanding applications, variant with integrated system isolating switches and locating current injector

Details

Ground-Fault Monitoring for Grounded Systems

LINETRAXX® SmartDetect RCMS410

Four-channel DC, AC and pulse current sensitive residual current monitor for earthed AC, AC/DC and DC systems

Details
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS460-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor

Details
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D
LINETRAXX® RCMS490-D Blindspot®

Multi-channel AC/DC ground-fault monitor with individual relay outputs

Details
LINETRAXX® RCMB300-Serie
LINETRAXX® RCMB300 Series

AC/DC sensitive residual current monitoring modules for monitoring applications

Details

Ground-Fault Location, Ungrounded

ISOSCAN® EDS440
ISOSCAN® EDS440 Series

Ground-fault location module for ungrounded AC/DC systems

Details

Healthcare Isolated Power Panels

COM465IP Series
COM465IP Series

Condition Monitor with an integrated gateway for the connection of Bender devices to Ethernet-TCP/IP networks

Details

Standards

NEC 706.30(D)
UL 9540:2020 Section 14.8