Development of a real-time testing environment for battery energy storage systems in renewable energy applications

The increased penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources is driving the development of grid-scale energy storage around the world. This paper presents the development of a real-time testing platform for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in renewable energy applications. To simulate operating conditions in the field, the platform contains a stimulus generation module that can generate three phase waveforms from output power data of a wind or solar generation facility. The stimulus generator can be used to drive either a full BESS with control system, inverter, and batteries to assess system performance, or it can test the control system alone in a closed loop software mode with an integrated model of the inverter and battery. An overview of the state of the industry for energy storage in renewable energy applications is also presented.