Depth of Charge Talks: Designing Utility-Scale BESS | Lifecycle, Augmentation & Grid Storage

In this first edition of the Storlytics Depth of Charge Talks webinar series, industry experts discuss how to design, operate, and future proof utility scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for the grid of tomorrow. Moderated by Dr. Sherif Abdelrazek, Co Founder and CEO of Storlytics and Dr. Jakir Hossain, Co Founder and CTO of Storlytics the session features a deep technical presentation by Christian Ward of Southern Company on real world BESS lifecycle management, augmentation planning, and degradation modeling based on operational experience. The discussion is followed by a global panel with Marek Kubik, Dr. Vikash Venkataramana, Raafe Khan, covering topics such as vendor risk, overbuild strategies, augmentation topologies, long duration energy storage (LDES), regional BESS use cases, solar plus storage coupling methods, and the impact of dispatch profiles on degradation and project economics. Viewers will gain insight into how utilities, developers, and technology providers evaluate performance, warranties, costs, and emerging battery technologies using validated modeling approaches, including the Storlytics platform. 00:00:00 Opening & Agenda – Depth of Charge Talks Introduction 00:00:08 Speaker Introductions – Panelist Introductions 00:04:00 Moderator Introduction – Sherif Abdelrazek & Jakir Hossain 00:04:41 Presentation Start – Christian Ward (Southern Company) 00:05:47 BESS Lifecycle Evaluation Framework: Technical, Warranty, Supply Chain 00:11:12 Industry Shift to Longer Duration & 25 Year Asset Lives 00:08:06 Overbuild Strategy and Data Driven Augmentation Planning 00:09:12 Real World Augmentation Case Study & OEM Bankruptcy Impact 00:10:58 Key Asset Management Questions: Capacity, Timing, Sizing 00:11:47 Validating Models with Field Data & Forecast Confidence 00:12:54 From Capacity Tests to Forward Looking Simulation 00:14:07 Dispatch Profiles, Meteorological Inputs, and Model Accuracy 00:15:02 Proactive Planning Benefits: Engineering, Procurement, Timing 00:15:49 Four Key Takeaways for Utility Scale BESS Projects 00:18:05 Q&A – Model Accuracy Across Chemistries and Conditions 00:20:37 System Level Modeling: Battery, PCS, EMS, and Cost Evolution 00:23:38 Capacity Testing Frequency Best Practices 00:24:33 Panel Question – Evaluating New BESS & LDES Technologies 00:31:03 Regional BESS Use Cases: US, Europe, Middle East 00:35:43 US Market Structures, IRA, and Revenue Stacking Impacts 00:47:08 Data Centers, Grid Deferral, and D Tied BESS Applications 00:50:10 BESS Augmentation Topologies: Overbuild, DC, and AC Augmentation 01:01:02 Solar Plus Storage Coupling: AC vs DC Approaches 01:09:06 Ancillary Services Dispatch and Degradation Assumptions 01:13:27 Closing Remarks and Webinar Wrap Up #BESS #EnergyStorage #GridScaleStorage #LongDurationEnergyStorage #RenewableEnergy #SolarPlusStorage #GridReliability #EnergyModeling