Program – Tab (With Tab Name)

Session One: Introduction to energy storage technologies

• Identifying the different forms of energy storage and their stages of development:
  • Batteries
  • Thermal
  • Flywheels
  • Pumped hydro power
  • Gravitational
  • Liquid air
  • Hydrogen
• Understanding where the market is going:
  • Which technologies are needed for which applications?
  • How do the different technologies compare in terms of scale and duration?
• To what extent do these technologies compete or are they complementary?
• Group Exercise : how to quantify the relative costs of the different technologies to determine which energy technology is the right one for you

Session Two: The different battery chemistries and their applications

• What are the major battery chemistries and their characteristics? Lithium-ion (Li-ion) vs NMC vs lead acid
• To what extent are Li-ion batteries now the battery of choice for energy storage? What are their advantages and disadvantages? How will the increase in the lithium price affect the adoption of Li-ion batteries?
• Examining developments in emerging battery chemistries – redox flow, sodium ion, solid state, etc. – are these serious competitors to the more established batteries?
• Group Exercise : how to identify which applications the different battery chemistries are best suited for

Session One: The different business models for energy storage projects

• Reviewing applied business models in the ESS space. What is currently best practice?
• How to identify the key components of an ESS business model which will make it more commercially viable and financially attractive
• What is use-case stacking? To what extent is it possible to stack multiple revenue streams?
• What commercial structures do you need to consider when incorporating an ESS into a renewable energy project?
• Group Exercise : how to demonstrate the value proposition of an ESS project

Session Two: How to ‘green’ the battery supply chain

• To what extent are end users concerned about the provenance of batteries and what implications does that have for your business model?
• How green are the different battery chemistries, i.e., batteries that have been manufactured with minimal impact on the environment?
• What technology can be used to audit and track movement in supply chains?
• What should you do if a violation is discovered?
• Group Exercise : identify the most important ‘green’ components of an ESS project that external stakeholders are looking for

Session Three: The economics of a battery energy storage system (BESS)

• What are the major components of a BESS and the costs associated with each of these components?
• Quantifying the ongoing costs throughout a BESS’s lifetime that need to be accounted for, e.g., operating expenses, fixed system maintenance, decommissioning, end-of-life services, etc.
• What is the State of Charge (SOC)? What are the difficulties in calculating the SOC?
• Group Exercise : how to calculate the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of the different battery types and what this value actually means

Session Four: Best practice in battery asset management

• What asset management tools are available for batteries and battery sites? What lessons can be learned from asset management for renewable energy?
• How can you maximise the operational performance of a battery?
• What are the best practices for structuring a site?
• What is meant by battery ageing? What influences the ageing of batteries and how can these effects be minimised?
• Group Exercise : explore best practices for optimising battery performance and lifetime

Session Three: The safety issues around batteries and what can be done to mitigate them

• Why are batteries dangerous? Identifying the different safety risks when designing, developing and operating a battery
• What international technical standards must batteries comply with?
• How to minimise the different types of electrical and mechanical risks to the end user and environment
• Understanding which fire suppression systems to deploy
• Group Exercise : outline the key safety measures to put in place to reduce the costs of insurance and risk of litigation

Session Four: The business model for long-duration energy storage

• What is the potential for long-duration energy storage? What are the emerging applications that are likely to see the biggest uptake?
• Taking a step-by-step approach on how to select the most appropriate technology for long-duration storage - will current technologies be sufficient or will alternatives need to be considered?
• Analysing projects that are currently at pilot stage and their cost effectiveness
• Group Exercise : how to evaluate the business case for hydrogen as a long-term energy storage solution in terms of reliability and resilience

Session Five: How is Eskom planning to incorporate energy storage as part of its plan to achieve security of energy supply?

Session Six: Energy storage in the African residential/rural market

• What is the potential for battery energy storage in the residential/rural market in South Africa and the rest of Africa?
• Where is demand coming from?
• What are the obstacles that could inhibit growth in the residential/rural market?
• Lack of local skills and equipment
• Cost of installing an ESS
• Challenges of installing and maintaining ESSs in rural areas
• Group Exercise : Create a business plan for an ESS in a rural African community

Session Five: Panel discussion: The Commercial & Industrial (C&I) energy storage market in Africa

• Evaluating C&I growth potential in Africa – who are the main end users?
• What energy storage technologies are being used for C&I applications?
• Identifying applications that ESSs are currently addressing in the C&I space:
  • Reactive power compensation
  • Peak shaving
  • Load shifting

• Examining real-life use cases and lessons learnt

Session Six: Addressing the skills shortage in the energy storage industry

• What skills and expertise are needed in the energy storage space?
• How acute is the gap between the demand for and supply of energy storage professionals?
• What is needed to increase the supply of suitably qualified and experienced personnel?
• What role should technical colleges and universities play?
• Group Exercise : develop a strategy to identify, recruit and retain talent for your company