Your demand peak is a cost. A battery turns it into a saving.

No. A battery shaves the demand peak whatever the power comes from, and the capacity charge is often the largest single item the battery pays down. Solar improves the arithmetic, but it is not a precondition.

Yes, including installations that have been standing for years. The battery is connected either on the AC side with its own battery inverter, in addition to the inverter you have, or on the DC side by swapping the inverter for a hybrid inverter. Where the inverter is on the roof and the battery at ground level, AC coupling is often the simplest. More on AC and DC coupling (in Norwegian).

Both. With AC coupling the battery gets its own battery inverter and is independent of the solar installation, which makes it easier to combine equipment and replace components later. DC coupling with a hybrid inverter means fewer conversions and so lower losses, but the hybrid inverter and the battery have to be compatible. We choose to suit the installation (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 3.1.2).

Statnett sets the requirements. The minimum bid is 0.1 MW in FCR-N and FCR-D and 1 MW in aFRR, and the battery must be prequalified with Statnett and take part through a balance responsible party and an aggregator. If the battery is too small to bid, the return comes from reducing the capacity charge, using more of your own solar on site, and price arbitrage.

No. Prices in the reserve markets are set by the market and they move. The figures we show are historical average prices from Statnett, and they say what the market has paid — not what it will pay. That is why we always work out the return behind the meter first, and treat the reserve market as something that comes on top.

Cabinets from GoodWe, Huawei, Sungrow, CNTE and JA Solar, and container solutions from CNTE, Huawei and Cube Energy. We choose the system to suit the project, not to suit one fixed supplier.

BESS stands for Battery Energy Storage System. The term covers the whole system: the battery cells and modules, the battery management system (BMS) that monitors voltage, current and temperature, the inverter that converts between DC and AC in both directions, and the controls that decide when the battery charges and discharges. In a commercial building a BESS sits in cabinets, a container or a dedicated room. It is used to shave demand peaks, store solar power, provide backup power during outages and deliver services to the grid.

LFP (lithium iron phosphate) generally tolerates heat better than NMC (nickel manganese cobalt), and a fire is often less intense. However, the gas released by an LFP cell in thermal runaway can contain a high share of hydrogen. In a poorly ventilated room that creates an explosion risk. Chemistry alone therefore does not determine how safe an installation is. The product, its certification, placement, ventilation and detection have to be assessed together (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 2.3). More on LFP and NMC (in Norwegian).

That is decided by a risk assessment for your specific installation. As a rule, the battery should stand outdoors, well away from buildings and combustible material. The next choice is a separate building, then a dedicated fire compartment inside. The battery should not be placed in escape routes, by exits or in rooms where people spend long periods. The fire resistance of the compartment must at least match what the building requires of its other fire-compartment walls (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 3.2.6). Fire safety and placement (in Norwegian).

Yes, but only if the installation is designed and built for intentional island operation, meaning it supplies selected loads while disconnected from the grid. An ordinary grid-connected battery disconnects when the grid goes down, just like the solar installation. That is a safety requirement. For island operation, disconnection from the grid, earthing, protection and which loads are to stay on all have to be planned from the start (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 3.1.3). We design and deliver battery installations with island operation and backup power, including in combination with a generator. Raise it early and we will include it in the sizing. Backup power and island operation (in Norwegian).

Yes to the grid company. The installation must be notified before work starts (fel § 14), and we notify it as part of the delivery. The insurer should also be told early, as insurance requirements can be stricter than the regulations and vary between companies. The local fire service should be involved where relevant. In an existing building the work may also require a permit from the municipality (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 3). More on the requirements (in Norwegian).

There is no single fixed interval. It is set according to the installation, its use, the maintenance and the risk assessment, with the manufacturer’s recommendations weighing heavily. The guide uses four years as an example for electrical installations in commercial buildings, and recommends more frequent inspection for installations with a battery than for equivalent ones without (NHO Elektro, 2026, ch. 7.2). Maintenance between inspections follows the manufacturer’s plan and is done by qualified professionals. We offer dedicated service agreements for batteries. Documented maintenance also matters for keeping the battery warranty. Inspection and emergency planning (in Norwegian).

We pass on the manufacturer’s warranty for the system you get. Depending on the supplier that means up to 10 years and up to 10 000 cycles. We go through the actual terms for your system in the quotation. For most systems the warranty requires documented maintenance, which is why we offer dedicated service agreements for batteries.

Yes, but not fully on both at once. Capacity reserved for the reserve market is not available to shave a demand peak in the same hour. The control system makes that trade-off continuously, and we set it up around what gives your building the most.