A BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) has several devices (control, inverters, BMS…) each with its own technology. If we focus on lithium cell batteries, the most popular options are LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) and NMC (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese). How are they different? Which one should I choose for my battery storage system? Both are composed of lithium, but we find different compositions in their cathodes.
LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Batteries
Conventional batteries are usually made of a lithium and cobalt alloy (LiCoO₂), they are known as NCA batteries. However, in LFP batteries we replace that cobalt with sheets of iron phosphates, giving rise to a Lithium iron phosphate alloy LiFePO 4. Lithium is a rare and expensive component shared by both batteries, but phosphates and iron are much more common in nature than cobalt, making makes your price much cheaper.
In addition to the lower price, the main advantage is the low degradation of LFP batteries. They have greater chemical stability, which makes them better withstand charge and discharge cycles and have less degradation, something ideal for applications such as Peak Shaving or load shifting in industrial energy storage like the Pixii Power Shaper does.
Their main problem is that they have a lower energy density than other options. The structures of the metallic oxides that compose them limit the entrance and exit of electrons to be of the olivine type. This is critical in electric vehicles, because the lower density makes it necessary to increase the number of cells and, therefore, the size and weight to achieve more autonomy. However, in industrial energy storage it is not something so relevant and it is more than compensated with all its advantages.
The LFP battery performs better than other options at elevated temperatures thanks to its good thermal stability, which prevents fire risks. In countries like Spain with a temperate and warm climate in some areas, it is an ideal option. With very low temperatures its performance drops. In the case of the Pixii Power Shaper, it has the option of incorporating an air conditioning system that guarantees its full performance outdoors in any extreme condition.
NMC batteries (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese)
NMC batteries are also lithium batteries with the cathode composed of Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese. Its main advantage is its high thermal density, which means that it takes up much less space and weighs less to achieve the same capacity or that we have much more capacity in the same space. This makes them a good choice for high-performance electric vehicles. But when is it useful for industrial energy storage?
NMC batteries are suitable when we are going to use our battery for applications with low rate C loading and unloading, but where we are interested in a large storage capacity such as photovoltaic self-consumption or load shifting. That is, when we do not focus so much on power, but rather on having a higher energy density and high capacity.
They have a higher cost per kWh than other options such as the LFP, although with a superior life cycle, making it a more profitable option in the long run. NMC batteries have a good performance in low temperatures, something appropriate if we are going to locate our battery outside in very cold regions such as northern Europe or, for example, in telecommunications facilities elevated.
BESS Pixii Power Shaper
The smart battery for industrial energy storage can be configured with LFP or NMC modules for a wide range of applications. At Pebblex we are specialists in energy storage and we advise you on your projects.
