BESS price of Cambodia energy storage power station

BESS can provide much needed grid stabilisation, reliability, decarbonisation while also reducing imported power. As battery storage demand and investment continues to grows, Cambodia is well-positioned to build a reliable, low cost, sustainable energy system for the future.

Cambodia's energy sector has been a tremendous success story over the last 20 years. From experiencing frequent power cuts and limited regional electricity access in 2004 to a stable grid in the capital, Phnom Penh, and a village electrification rate of over 98%.

The project will aim at deploying at least 2100 MW / 4100 MWh of BESS capacity with grid-forming inverter in various locations across Cambodia mostly for ancillary services, peak load shifting and grid congestion relief.

It is nonetheless still eye-opening to note just how big those differences in cost are. The average for a turnkey system in China including 1-hour, 2-hour and 4-hour duration BESS was just US$101/kWh. In the US, the average was US$236/kWh and in Europe US$275/kWh, more than double China's average cost.

The cost of BESS has fallen significantly over the past decade, with more precipitous drops in recent years: This is nearly a 70% reduction in three years, owing to falling battery pack prices (now as low as $60-70/kWh in China), increased deployment, and improved efficiency.

Renewable energy, particularly solar, holds great promise for Cambodia. However, the intermittent nature of solar energy benefits from robust storage solutions to store excess generation and provide power during low solar output periods, like the dry season.