Investment and operating cost plan (CAPEX/OPEX) for storage and grid
Battery storage CAPEX OPEX plan: CAPEX and OPEX presented reliably for storage and grid projects, for decisions, banks and funding bodies.
A reliable cost plan is the basis for deciding on your storage project and for communication with funding bodies and banks. We develop cost models that cover all relevant project phases, from development through construction to long-term operation. In doing so, we take into account technological details, regulatory framework conditions and operational requirements.
In the investment and operating cost plan for a battery storage system, the investment costs (CAPEX) are divided into several blocks. The battery block is based on the amount of energy in kilowatt hours, while the power electronics with inverters and the remaining plant, with cabling, switchgear and installation, are based on the power in kilowatts. How capacity and power are set in relation to each other therefore determines the structure of the investment. Added to this are the grid connection, the site area including access, and planning and permitting, and depending on the operating concept also fire protection, monitoring and fire-water retention. The grid connection charge is a one-off payment for establishing or changing the connection; for connections charged at a flat rate, the grid operator can charge the additional amount separately if the actual connection costs exceed a statutory threshold per kW, and must justify it. The grid provision charge for grid expansion is levied only on consumers, so for storage systems it must be clarified in which role they are treated.
The ongoing costs (OPEX) begin with maintenance, repairs and insurance. Two particularities are added for batteries: usable capacity decreases with use, known as degradation, and the efficiency over a full charge and discharge cycle is below 100 per cent. To maintain the nominal capacity over the operating life, modules are added or replaced, which belongs in the operating plan as a separate cost block. Service life is therefore a key parameter: assumptions on operating life, degradation and the timing of a possible full replacement decide whether the plan holds over the entire period. Whether a storage system shaves peak loads, shifts feed-in or uses time-dependent tariffs changes the number of cycles and thus ageing and replacement needs. For peak loads, the capacity charge comes into play, which is based on the average of the monthly highest quarter-hour peaks, and for grid charges, drawing from the grid and feeding back count as grid use; depending on the mode of operation, individual charges may not apply, for example for storage behind the meter of a generation plant. The investment and operating cost plan for battery storage should therefore be linked to the operating profile from the load profile analysis instead of working with flat-rate values. In this way we create financial transparency over the entire life cycle of your battery storage system and secure its economic viability.
You apply for funding through the handling of the funding application, and the technical side is reviewed by the technical due diligence for storage and grid. How the required storage capacity is derived is clarified beforehand by the load profile analysis for storage and grid. For wind farms, there is the cost plan for wind projects.
