Engineering grid-scale storage from studies to site
NEWATT has delivered power system studies and detailed electrical engineering for utility-scale BESS projects including 100 MW / 200 MWh at Kutch, Gujarat, 50 MW / 100 MWh for NTPC-GL Enertech in Telangana, and 200 MW / 400 MWh for NTPC at Barh, Bihar.
Our BESS engineering scope covers everything from grid-code compliance studies using PSCAD, PSS/E and ETAP through to detailed electrical design — SLDs, equipment sizing, cable engineering, panel design and LT auxiliary design — and the civil and structural engineering for the plant.
What this sector involves
Battery energy storage at utility scale presents specific technical challenges: bidirectional power flow changes how short-circuit studies are set up, DC arc flash requires a different calculation methodology from AC arc flash, and the grid-code requirements for frequency response and LVRT/HVRT are often more demanding for storage than for conventional generation.
NEWATT's team has delivered the full range of studies for grid-connected BESS — load flow for both charge and discharge operating modes, short circuit with battery contribution, dynamic stability and frequency response to PSS/E and PSCAD, LVRT/HVRT ride-through verification, harmonics and DC current injection to the levels Indian and international grid codes require.
On the detailed engineering side, we cover PCS integration, step-up transformer sizing, MV collection system design, protection coordination across the DC/AC boundary, earthing, auxiliary power design and the civil and structural engineering for battery enclosures, control buildings and switchyard structures.
Typical scope for Energy Storage (BESS)
- 100–400 MW BESS delivered
- PSCAD & PSS/E dynamic studies
- LVRT / HVRT & frequency response
- DC & AC arc flash
- PCS integration & protection
- Detailed electrical design
- Civil & structural engineering
- Grid-code compliance India & international
BESS power system studies
Load flow & short circuit
Load flow for charge, discharge and standby modes — verifying voltage profiles and equipment loading across the full range of operating conditions. Short circuit with battery-side contribution properly modelled, since battery inverters contribute fault current differently from synchronous machines.
PSCAD & dynamic studies
LVRT/HVRT ride-through verification, frequency response, transient stability and grid-forming/grid-following inverter behaviour studies in PSCAD and PSS/E — the studies that demonstrate a BESS meets the grid operator's dynamic performance requirements.
Harmonics & DC injection
Harmonic current emission assessment for PCS systems operating across the full load range, and DC current injection measurement and analysis — two power quality requirements that grid codes apply to inverter-based plant.
AC & DC arc flash
Incident energy studies at both the AC collection side (IEEE 1584:2018) and the DC battery system (NFPA 70E / IEEE 1584:2018 DC methodology) — providing PPE categories and boundary distances for maintenance access at every level of the BESS electrical system.
BESS design engineering
PCS & MV collection design
Power conversion system electrical integration — DC block sizing, string fusing, MV cable sizing from each PCS to the collection transformer, switchgear selection and layout — coordinated with the PCS manufacturer's technical requirements and the grid operator's connection conditions.
Protection coordination
Protection scheme covering DC side ground-fault detection, string-level fusing, PCS-level AC protection, MV feeder protection and transformer protection — coordinated across the AC/DC boundary for both charge-mode and discharge-mode fault scenarios.
Earthing design
BESS earthing to IEEE 80 / IS 3043, accounting for the specific requirements of a plant with both an AC earth system and a DC system that may be high-resistance grounded rather than solidly earthed.
Auxiliary & control system design
Station auxiliary power, battery management system interfaces, SCADA connectivity and control building electrical design — the support systems that let the BESS dispatch, monitor and protect itself around the clock.
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