There are three key types of procurement contracts—power purchase agreements (PPAs) or energy storage services agreements; engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreements; and build-transfer agreements (BTAs)—and several key risks that must be allocated between the parties.
The contract structure has not. Two main issues should be considered when developing a battery energy storage system or “BESS” project. The first is the general contracting structure. The second is key pitfalls when drafting and negotiating specific contracts. This article focuses on the contract structure. Turnkey v. Separate Contracts
Increased demand for batteries has put a strain on the market. Demand for battery metals in 2022 increased almost 30% over the prior year. The dollar-per-kilowatt ($/kW) cost of storage increased from $1,580 in the first quarter of 2021 to $1,993 in 2022.
Battery projects tend to degrade over time and augmentation can be used to restore a project to its former capabilities from an energy storage capacity standpoint. However, augmentation is not limited to this purpose and can also be used to increase the capacity of an existing resource beyond its original capabilities.
Power Purchase Agreements A PPA for new resources typically covers 100% of the output of the project, including full dispatch and charging control. For standalone energy storage contracts, these are typically structured with a fixed monthly capacity payment plus some variable cost per megawatt hour (MWh) of throughput.
If the aggressive rush that the market has seen in 2021 for battery projects continues, this will turn out to be a conservative number. However, the rapid growth in this sector has not been without considerable growing pains.