Control Peak Demand
Discharge the battery when facility demand approaches a billing threshold, reducing the short peak that may influence the monthly demand charge.
Commercial & Industrial Energy Storage Systems
Commercial & Industrial Battery Energy Storage
Energy Storage That Works With Solar—or Without It
Store energy when it is available or less expensive, then use it when demand, electricity prices, or business risk are highest. United Lithium Solutions supports commercial battery storage for peak shaving, time-of-use management, solar self-consumption, backup power, microgrids, EV charging, and generator-assisted systems.
Solar + Storage
Standalone Grid Storage
Peak Shaving
Critical-Load Backup
Microgrids
Peak Shaving
Reduce short periods of high facility demand
Time-of-Use Control
Shift consumption away from costly periods
Backup Power
Support selected critical loads during outages
Solar Optimization
Use more on-site generation after sunset
Why Energy Storage Is Needed
Electricity Cost and Electricity Availability Are Not Constant
Commercial facilities can experience changing electricity prices, short demand spikes, solar production that does not align with evening loads, grid outages, new EV or equipment loads, and costly generator operation. A properly designed battery energy storage system gives the facility control over when stored energy is used.
Shift Energy Costs
Charge during a lower-cost period and discharge during a higher-cost period when the utility tariff and operating schedule support energy arbitrage.
Capture Excess Solar
Store production that would otherwise be exported or curtailed, then use it after solar output declines or electricity prices rise.
Support Critical Loads
Maintain selected operations during a grid interruption when the system includes appropriate islanding, transfer, controls, and electrical protection.
Buffer New Loads
Help manage short-duration demand from EV charging, motors, HVAC equipment, production machinery, robotics, or other high-power loads.
Coordinate Generators
Combine batteries with generator controls to reduce unnecessary generator runtime, support load transitions, and improve microgrid flexibility.
Two Valid System Strategies
Battery Storage Does Not Require Solar
Solar can supply the charging energy, but the grid or a generator can also charge the battery. The correct architecture depends on the facility’s tariff, load profile, resilience needs, equipment, and operating goals.
Generate During the Day. Use It When It Matters.
Solar-plus-storage allows a facility to move on-site generation from the time it is produced to the time it has greater operational or economic value.
- Store surplus midday solar production
- Increase on-site solar self-consumption
- Use stored solar during evening peak periods
- Reduce solar curtailment or low-value export
- Support critical loads during qualifying outages
- Coordinate solar, battery, grid, and generator resources
Charge from the Grid. Discharge Against Cost and Risk.
A standalone battery system can be valuable even when no solar array is installed. The battery can charge from the utility during an available lower-cost window and discharge when prices, facility demand, or outage risk are higher.
- Charge during qualifying off-peak periods
- Reduce peak demand through controlled discharge
- Shift consumption away from high-rate hours
- Support critical loads with proper backup equipment
- Buffer EV charging or equipment-start demand
- Integrate with an existing or future solar installation
Potential Financial Value
Where Commercial Battery Storage Can Create Savings
Savings are site-specific. The most important inputs are the utility tariff, interval load profile, battery power, battery energy, dispatch strategy, efficiency, degradation, operating schedule, and financing structure.
Demand-Charge Reduction
Reduce the facility’s maximum billed demand by discharging during the limited periods that create the monthly peak.
Time-of-Use Shifting
Replace higher-priced grid consumption with stored energy that was charged during a lower-priced period.
Higher Solar Utilization
Retain more on-site solar value when evening loads or peak-rate periods occur after solar production declines.
Avoided Disruption
Reduce certain outage, downtime, spoilage, process interruption, or generator-runtime costs when the system is designed for resilience.
Illustrative Savings Example
This example explains the math only. It is not a quote, forecast, guarantee, or claim that every facility will achieve these results.
Demand-charge illustration
100 kW reduced × $20 per kW-month × 12 months = $24,000 per year.
Energy-shifting illustration
200 kWh shifted per operating day × $0.10 per kWh price spread × 250 days = $5,000 gross annual opportunity before battery losses.
Resilience value
Calculated from the facility’s avoided cost of downtime, lost production, spoiled inventory, interrupted service, or generator operation.
Do not simply add value streams without interval modeling. The same battery capacity may be needed for both bill savings and emergency reserve, and those objectives can compete. A credible estimate should use actual utility bills, the applicable tariff, and preferably 15-minute or finer interval data.
Available Energy Storage Platforms
Large C&I Systems and Modular TWS FlexiBlock Batteries
Large facility systems and modular low-voltage batteries serve different applications. ULS can help identify which class of system belongs in the project.
Growatt C&I Energy Storage
Integrated commercial platforms for solar self-consumption, time-of-use management, demand-charge control, critical-load backup, grid support, and microgrid applications.
Commercial Power Range
Manufacturer platforms include commercial hybrid and storage inverter architectures.
Battery Energy
Current platform examples include approximately 50–60 kWh and 209 kWh battery configurations.
Energy Sources
Grid, solar PV, and qualifying generator-assisted architectures.
Primary Uses
Facilities, warehouses, EV charging, manufacturing, commercial buildings, and microgrids.
TWS FlexiBlock Batteries
Compact modular battery blocks for low-voltage motive, mobile, auxiliary, marine, RV, industrial, and smaller off-grid or backup applications.
Available Formats
12V 100Ah and 24V 50Ah FlexiBlock configurations.
Module Energy
Current listed modules provide 1.28 kWh each.
Construction
LiFePO₄ chemistry, IP67 enclosure, and integrated battery-management functions.
Scalability
Series and parallel configurations, with listed system expansion up to 10.24 kWh.
Select the Correct Product Class
Large C&I Storage vs. TWS FlexiBlock
| Category | Large C&I Energy Storage | TWS FlexiBlock |
|---|---|---|
| Typical Scale | Tens to hundreds of kilowatt-hours or larger, depending on the selected architecture. | 1.28 kWh modules, with listed modular configurations up to 10.24 kWh. |
| Primary Purpose | Facility energy management, peak shaving, solar optimization, backup, EV charging support, and microgrids. | Low-voltage mobile, motive, auxiliary, RV, marine, industrial, and smaller off-grid or backup loads. |
| Core Equipment | Battery cabinets or racks, inverter or PCS, EMS, switchgear, transfer equipment, metering, HVAC or thermal management, and protection. | Self-contained low-voltage battery blocks with BMS and supported series or parallel integration. |
| Project Process | Detailed load study, tariff analysis, electrical design, utility review, permitting, site planning, commissioning, and monitoring. | Voltage, current, capacity, series or parallel configuration, charger, communication, mounting, and application review. |
| Best Starting Point | Submit utility bills, interval load data, service voltage, critical loads, and solar or generator information. | Submit required voltage, amp-hours, load current, runtime, environment, space, and quantity. |
System Architecture
Multiple Energy Sources. One Controlled Power System.
An energy-management system determines when the battery should charge, discharge, reserve energy for backup, or coordinate with other power sources.
Utility Grid
Off-peak charging and normal supply
→
Solar / Generator
Optional on-site energy sources
→
Inverter / PCS / EMS
Conversion, control, and dispatch
→
Battery Storage
Stored energy and power reserve
Facility Loads
Normal building and process demand
←
Critical Loads
Selected outage-support circuits
←
EV Charging
Managed high-power charging demand
←
Monitoring
Metering, alerts, reports, and controls
Commercial Applications
Where Large Battery Energy Storage Can Add Value
Manufacturing
Peak-load control, critical process support, solar integration, and production resilience.
Warehouses & Distribution
HVAC demand management, material-handling loads, refrigeration, solar, and backup.
EV Charging Sites
Buffer charging peaks, manage grid demand, and coordinate solar or generator resources.
Retail & Commercial Buildings
Time-of-use management, peak reduction, resilience, and solar self-consumption.
Healthcare & Critical Facilities
Selected critical-load continuity and coordination with established backup systems.
Agriculture
Irrigation, refrigeration, pumps, remote operations, solar, and generator-assisted microgrids.
Telecommunications
Backup energy, remote-site operation, generator coordination, and power-quality support.
Remote & Off-Grid Sites
Coordinate solar, batteries, generators, controls, and prioritized loads in a microgrid.
Project Evaluation
What ULS Needs to Evaluate an Energy Storage Project
The quality of the recommendation depends on the quality of the facility data. The following information helps establish an initial system concept.
01
Utility Bills and Tariff
Preferably 12 months of bills showing energy charges, demand charges, time-of-use periods, and rate schedule.
02
Interval Load Data
Fifteen-minute or finer facility demand data provides a much stronger basis for peak-shaving and dispatch analysis.
03
Electrical Service Information
Service voltage, phase, transformer capacity, switchgear, available fault current, and single-line diagram when available.
04
Critical-Load Requirements
Required backup power, energy, runtime, startup current, operating sequence, and maximum acceptable interruption.
05
Solar and Generator Details
Existing or planned PV capacity, inverter type, generator rating, fuel, operating strategy, and interconnection status.
06
Site and Project Constraints
Indoor or outdoor location, climate, available footprint, access, permitting jurisdiction, schedule, budget, and expansion plans.
Energy Storage Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial battery system work without solar?
Yes. A standalone battery can charge from the utility grid during an available lower-cost period and discharge during a higher-cost period, when facility demand approaches a target, or during an outage if the system includes the necessary backup and islanding equipment.
How does energy storage work with solar?
Solar production can supply facility loads and charge the battery. The stored energy can then be discharged after solar production falls, during a costly utility period, when facility demand rises, or during a qualifying outage.
How much can a commercial battery system save?
There is no reliable universal percentage. Savings depend on the rate tariff, demand charges, load profile, system power, system energy, controls, battery efficiency, degradation, operating schedule, financing, incentives, and how different value streams interact. Interval-data analysis is the preferred starting point.
Will the battery back up the entire building?
Not automatically. Whole-building backup requires enough inverter power and battery energy for the entire load, along with appropriate transfer, isolation, protection, controls, and system design. Many projects separate and prioritize critical loads instead.
What is the difference between battery power and battery energy?
Power, measured in kilowatts, describes how much electrical load the system can support at one time. Energy, measured in kilowatt-hours, describes how long that level of power can be delivered. Both must be sized correctly.
Can battery storage reduce demand charges?
It may reduce demand charges when the utility tariff bills for peak demand and the battery can reliably discharge during the interval that establishes the monthly peak. A facility with short, predictable peaks may be more favorable than one with a long, flat high-load period.
Is TWS FlexiBlock suitable for a large commercial building?
FlexiBlock is primarily a modular low-voltage battery family for motive, mobile, auxiliary, industrial, marine, RV, and smaller off-grid or backup applications. A large commercial building normally requires a different C&I architecture with larger battery cabinets or racks, a commercial inverter or PCS, EMS, switchgear, thermal management, and engineered protection.
Can storage be added to an existing solar installation?
Often, but compatibility and architecture must be evaluated. An AC-coupled system may be used with an existing solar installation, while other projects may use a DC-coupled or hybrid design. Existing inverters, service voltage, controls, interconnection rules, and backup goals affect the decision.
Does an energy storage project require permits and utility approval?
Large commercial systems commonly require site-specific electrical and structural review, applicable permits, fire-code coordination, utility interconnection review, approved equipment, commissioning, and qualified installation. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and project.
Commercial Energy Storage Assessment
Find Out What Energy Storage Could Do for Your Facility
Send United Lithium Solutions your utility bills, interval load data, service voltage, critical-load requirements, solar or generator information, project location, and target timeline. We will use the information to identify the appropriate next step.
Savings examples are educational only and are not financial guarantees. Product specifications, compatibility, availability, certification, warranty, incentives, permitting, tariffs, and interconnection requirements must be confirmed for the specific project.