1. Distinguish between a battery, a BMS and a BESS
The battery stores energy, the BMS monitors and protects the cells, and the inverter converts energy and determines the permitted power. BESS stands for battery energy storage system. It includes the batteries, power conversion, controls and other equipment needed to make them work together.
Capacity in kWh describes an amount of energy; power in kW describes the rate of charging or discharging. Usable capacity differs from nominal capacity according to the operating range and limits. This matters when comparing batteries for solar installations or planning evening electricity sales.
2. Read cell measurements alongside the load
Start with the state of charge, voltage and current of the whole pack. Then look at the lowest and highest cell voltages, temperatures and the cell delta. Delta is the difference between the two extreme values; it is useful when tracked over time under comparable conditions.
A reading under heavy discharge cannot be compared directly with a reading at rest. Charts let you see how differences change during charging, discharging and at different temperatures. Also check the measurement timestamp to distinguish current readings from the last available data.
3. Connect monitoring to the plan
Smart battery control combines available energy with equipment limits and the goals of the site. For sales schedules, permitted power, discharge time and the charge you want to retain all matter. Maximising revenue in a single interval is not the only goal of an operating mode.
Telesolar offers detailed BMS data, monitoring, diagnostics and smart control from plan L. XL covers more batteries and adds planning with a minimum battery charge and service intervals for cell top balancing. Pro covers custom configurations. Plan M can be used with existing batteries, without smart battery control or monitoring.
4. Prepare the details of your system
A clear picture of the whole installation helps make inverter and battery monitoring useful. Record the models, number of packs, nominal capacity and the problem you want to solve. Measurement history supports diagnostics and later adjustments to the schedules.
- Provide the inverter and BMS models, the number of batteries and how they are connected.
- Describe whether your priority is self-consumption, reserve energy or sales based on market prices.
- Compare the plans and prepare an enquiry with the specific configuration of your solar PV plant.