Our colleague Petr Gaman had a lecture the ELMAG Forum 2026 conference titled “How to Design a Battery System That Really Works? From Chemistry to Lifetime.”
In his presentation, he focused on the design of BESS battery energy storage systems from the perspective of real-world operation, safety, and long-term service life. Among other things, he highlighted the importance of selecting the right battery chemistry, where it is necessary to consider the differences between LFP, NMC, and sodium-ion technologies and to find the right balance between power, capacity, safety, and cost.
Another topic was the proper sizing of a battery system. This should not be based only on the required capacity, but primarily on the load profile, intended use, and integration with other technologies such as photovoltaics, cogeneration, or hydrogen systems. As stated during the presentation, there is no universal size for a battery energy storage system.
A significant part of the presentation was also dedicated to thermal management and BTMS. Cooling and temperature control have a crucial impact on system safety, degradation rate, and the overall lifetime of a battery energy storage system.
The presentation also covered testing, simulations, and lifetime prediction. Without high-quality data, validation, and the connection of testing with simulation models, a battery system cannot be designed reliably. Finally, the broader role of BESS in the energy ecosystem was presented, including integration with PV systems, cogeneration, hydrogen, and the "Lex OZE," the Czech renewable energy source legislative framework.
We would like to thank all participants for their interest and the conference organizers for providing space for discussion on a topic that will become increasingly important in modern energy.