The transition towards more flexible and resilient electricity systems is rapidly accelerating demand for commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage solutions. In response to this expanding market, APsystems, widely recognised for its multi-module solar microinverters, is drawing on over 16 years of solar product development experience to launch a new modular battery platform.
This scalable offering delivers storage capacities ranging from 60 kilowatt-hours to several megawatt-hours per cabinet or container. The flexible system is specifically engineered to adapt to diverse operational requirements, grid connections and commercial applications.
Configurations and technical flexibility of the platform
The energy storage platform introduces a highly adaptable architecture designed to meet a wide range of commercial project specifications:
- Versatile system coupling: The platform is available in hybrid configurations or as a complete AC-coupled solution, providing full compatibility with both 400 V and 800 V AC infrastructures.
- Thermal management options: Depending on the local application and climate demands, systems deploy either air or liquid cooling architectures to optimise operational lifespans.
- Variable charge and discharge rates: System C-rates range from 0.25C to 1C, with 0.5C serving as the standard configuration. A 0.5C configuration represents a two-hour discharge duration relative to total capacity.
Scaling from massive utility projects to commercial rooftops
APsystems has accumulated over 2 gigawatt-hours of installed storage capacity globally, primarily through its subsidiary AES. This extensive field experience is being actively applied to the expanding European C&I market. Two major project milestones in China illustrate the scalability of the company's technology portfolio:
- The 100 MW Hebei Province installation: Located on the North China Plain, this massive 100 MW/400 MWh facility was developed for the Longteng factory in Shenzhou. The project deploys 80 prefabricated 5,000 L energy storage units, with each unit delivering up to 5,000 kWh of capacity. It uses a string-type architecture that isolates battery banks to prevent parallel DC-side connections, thereby eliminating circulating currents and minimising electrical losses. The system participates dynamically in spot market trading, frequency regulation and capacity leasing.
- The 25 MW Nanjing International Expo Center project: This utility rooftop installation covers over 150,000 square metres of space, making it one of China's largest microinverter-based PV systems. It uses 6,442 QT2D microinverters alongside more than 40,000 high-efficiency modules operating on a self-consumption model. Generating approximately 24.8 million kWh annually, the project offsets 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Integrated safety systems and data-driven optimization
Modern commercial project developers are placing an increasing emphasis on asset durability, total cost of ownership and rigorous safety metrics. To satisfy these requirements, the platform uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, a material widely selected for its superior thermal stability and resistance to thermal runaway.
The hardware and software are developed as a fully integrated ecosystem. A dedicated battery management system (BMS) monitors performance at the cell level, while an energy management system (EMS) continually optimises power conversion flows. Operators can monitor performance and access early diagnostics remotely via APsystems' proprietary EMA platform or bridge the hardware into external networks using standard communication protocols. This seamless connectivity enables remote firmware updates to minimise long-term operational risk in an increasingly complex energy landscape.
How is your asset management team using modular C&I storage platforms to mitigate peak demand charges and manage grid connection constraints? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Looking for the full technical breakdown? To examine the complete performance metrics and exploration profiles of these modular storage configurations, visit the official APsystems portal: https://pes.eu.com/exclusive-articles/modular-batteries-target-growing-commercial-energy-storage-market
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