From Design to Installation of the Onis Visa BESS Off-Grid Energy Storage System

Visa SpA has successfully completed the supply and installation of an innovative storage system using LLP (Low Lithium and Polarization Batteries) technology. This system was implemented to power the electrical loads of a mountain hut located at an altitude of 1850 meters in an Off-Grid area, where the public electricity grid is completely absent. The need arose from a customer request seeking a concrete alternative to reduce fuel consumption, which was the only source of power for the facility at the time, while also significantly cutting energy costs, offering both economic and environmental benefits.

The solution developed was the Onis Visa BESS Energy Storage STAND SpC 50 kWh, designed to store energy and optimize the management of electrical loads serving the mountain hut in the absence of the public grid.

The Project:

To execute this kind of project, our team of engineers and technicians started by analyzing the current operation of the Genset in use, which often operated at low load.

A preliminary macroeconomic evaluation can be made based on the experience of using storage systems. In fact, if for a third of the 24 hours the power absorbed by the electrical load is around 80% of the nominal PRP power of the genset and for two thirds of the 24 hours it is less than 10% of the PRP power, the installation of a storage system leads to a saving of around 40% on fuel and maintenance costs, if compared to the sole use of the genset for the supply of the required energy.   Adding a photovoltaic system to the storage unit at a later stage will lead to even greater savings, further reducing the expected Return on Investment (ROI) time.

The Solution:

The battery storage system has a rated power of 50 kWh and is designed to accept the genset power line input. A second input, divided into 4 MPPTs, is provided for the 65 kWp photovoltaic system. The Onis Visa BESS system uses a battery pack with innovative LLC technology, allowing 20,000 cycles with a 1C charge/discharge rating. The 1C Charge/Discharge Time means that the nominal discharge current will discharge the entire battery capacity in one hour. This parameter greatly enhances the performance of the storage system, allowing full utilization of the stored energy and optimizing the generator’s operation when it is used for charging and powering the electrical load. Safety and control systems are constantly active to ensure the system operates safely and efficiently, as required by product regulations.

When the genset is in function, it always operates at an average of 80% of its capacity. It powers the load and charges the batteries with the surplus produced energy when necessary. The number of hours the genset runs is drastically reduced, extending its average lifespan and lowering both fuel consumption and emissions.

Conclusions: 

• The study and design of this project were fully managed by our engineers and technicians who were able to test their skills and studies on this newly developed product in the field. .
• The Return on Investment (ROI), initially calculated in two years, was further reduced, surpassing expectations thanks to the addition of the photovoltaic system.
• The project was monitored for a whole year to verify its actual effectiveness over the different seasons.
• Thanks to improved performance and savings, the mountain hut was able to extend its opening period to the public, thus increasing profits.

For more information, schedule an appointment by writing to visa@visa.it.