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Calcimator

Grid-Scale Storage Calculator

Size and evaluate economics of utility-scale battery storage for peak shaving.

Inputs

MW
hrs
%
$/kWh
$/kW-mo
$/MWh

Results

Total Storage Required

229.9 MWh

≈ 21 homes' yearly electricity

Total System Cost

$57,471,264.00

≈ 137 average U.S. homes

Annual Revenue$11,517,241.00
Payback Period5 years
Cost per MWh$250,000.00
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Peak Shaving Capacity, Storage Duration, and Round-Trip Efficiency.
  2. Set Storage Cost, Demand Charge Avoided, and Energy Arbitrage Spread.
  3. Review Total Storage Required (MWh) and Total System Cost ($).
  4. Use Annual Revenue ($) and Payback Period (years) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Round-Trip Efficiency

Round-Trip EfficiencyTotal Storage RequiredTotal System Cost
73274 MWh$68,493,151.00
80250 MWh$62,500,000.00
88227.3 MWh$56,818,182.00
95210.5 MWh$52,631,579.00

What each input means

Peak Shaving Capacity
Power capacity for peak demand reduction.
Storage Duration
Duration of storage at rated power.
Round-Trip Efficiency
AC-to-AC round-trip efficiency.
Storage Cost
Installed cost per kWh of storage capacity.
Demand Charge Avoided
Monthly demand charge rate that can be avoided.
Energy Arbitrage Spread
Price difference between off-peak charging and on-peak discharging.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Peak Shaving Capacity = 50, Storage Duration = 4, Round-Trip Efficiency = 87, Storage Cost = 250 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Total Storage Required
    Total Storage Required
    229.9 = 229.9
  3. Calculate Total System Cost
    Total System Cost
    57471264 = $57,471,264
  4. Calculate Annual Revenue
    Annual Revenue
    11517241 = $11,517,241
  5. Calculate Payback Period
    Payback Period
    5 = 5

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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