Overview
IEC TR 62933-4-200:2024 - "Electrical Energy Storage (EES) Systems - Part 4-200: Guidance on environmental issues - Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment by electrical energy storage (EES) systems" is a Technical Report from the IEC that provides guidance on evaluating and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with electrical energy storage (EES) systems. It summarizes current practices, national case studies, research activities and example estimation methods for GHG reduction when integrating EES with grids and renewable energy sources.
Key topics
- Scope and definitions: clear terms such as EES, BESS (battery energy storage system), grid, and GHG reduction to ensure consistent assessment language.
- General guidance: conceptual approaches to how EES can reduce GHG emissions by enabling higher renewable penetration and displacing fossil generation.
- Country case studies: documented practices and analyses from Korea, Japan and Australia (including examples like frequency response EES and Hornsdale Power Reserve) illustrating operational strategies and lessons learned.
- Estimation methods: example calculation approaches and academic methodologies for quantifying GHG reductions (including use-case based and energy-chain/economic evaluations).
- Applications and use cases: long‑term services (peak shaving, load levelling, backup power) and short‑term services (frequency regulation, renewable energy stabilization).
- Supporting content: figures, operational scenarios, algorithms, and an informative annex template for recording related publications and practices.
Practical applications
- Assessing the net GHG impact of deploying EES within a power system or behind-the-meter application.
- Comparing operational strategies (e.g., frequency regulation vs energy shifting) for their emissions-reduction effectiveness.
- Informing design choices and operational algorithms for BESS to maximize carbon benefits when paired with variable renewable energy.
- Supporting project developers, grid planners and regulators with example calculation methods and national practice summaries.
Who should use this standard
- EES and BESS designers and manufacturers
- Grid operators, system planners and utilities
- Renewable energy project developers and VPP/aggregator operators
- Environmental analysts, lifecycle assessors and policy makers
- Researchers studying GHG impacts of energy storage technologies
Related information
- Part of the IEC 62933 series on Electrical Energy Storage (EES); this document is a Technical Report (informative) rather than a prescriptive standard, intended to guide assessment and harmonize practices for GHG emissions evaluation across projects and jurisdictions.
Keywords: IEC TR 62933-4-200:2024, electrical energy storage, EES, GHG emissions, greenhouse gas reduction, BESS, grid integration, frequency regulation, peak shaving, renewable energy stabilization.