NREL, Bosch, and Bonneville Power Administration Analyze Residential Energy Storage and Sizing

NREL, Bosch, and Bonneville Power are teaming up to develop cyber-secure home automation algorithms that deliver highly reliable demand response without disrupting the homeowner. 

The building-integrated battery industry currently lacks sizing standards or broad application guidelines. This combined with battery lifespan uncertainty and the inability for buyers to compare a set of similar products, has prevented significant market uptake.

The NREL, Bosch, Bonneville partnership will establish practical guidance for sizing, use case expectations (cycling rates, depth of discharge), and economic outcomes that could stimulate sales and competition in the home battery systems market.

The home automation system can simplify energy systems integration of big home energy users, suppliers, and storage, including controllable air conditioning, water heaters, dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, and home batteries. To increase the impact of this project, NREL will develop market guidance for home battery sizing, and demonstrate aggregation of next-generation residential demand-side resources under multiple grid scenarios. 

NREL's research to define the battery sizing methodology will delve into defining battery loads, developing models, determining performance under assessed loads, and performing techno-economic sizing analysis. In 2018, NREL will use its hardware-in-the-loop capabilities to validate the battery scenarios studied in the previous year.