Detect, Prove, Resolve: How InterEnergy Identified BESS Performance Issues, Claimed Warranties, and Recovered Capacity

InterEnergy provides energy to the Dominican Republic, Panama, Jamaica, Chile and Uruguay. Already active in wind and solar, the company recently turned to battery storage as a cleaner alternative to diesel generators. Its flagship initiative aims to fully decarbonize the CEPM (Consorcio Energético Punta Cana – Maca) grid in the Dominican Republic. A major milestone was reached with the commissioning of its first battery energy storage system (BESS) in 2024. Co-located with a solar PV plant, the 40+ MWh system is the largest BESS in the Central American and Caribbean region.

Goals

• Monitor and understand BESS performance
• Maintain high storage performance
• Enable proactive and data-driven O&M
• Track key warranty indicators in accordance with manufacturer’s contractual terms

Key Outcomes

• 1.4MWh restored by identifying and replacing idle string components
• Enabled a successful warranty claim through in-depth root cause analysis
• Enabled ongoing BESS optimization with performance KPIs
• Empowered the local O&M team with actionable insights

The Challenge

InterEnergy operates a 40 MWh battery energy storage system in Central America and manages day-to-day Operations & Maintenance (O&M) internally. While they receive support from the equipment provider under a Long-Term Service Agreement (LTSA), the team lacked sufficient information about system performance.

Key challenges included:

• SCADA alerts were inconsistent or incomplete, especially for idle strings
• The team struggled to differentiate between actual equipment failures and data outages
• Identifying root causes of underperformance was time-consuming and often inconclusive
• Lack of performance KPIs and deeper information other than state of health and energy throughput made it difficult to act decisively or initiate warranty claims

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, InterEnergy implemented the TWAICE Energy Storage Analytics. Together, these tools converted complex raw data from the BESS into useful KPIs. They provided an overview of system performance, automated anomaly detection, and root-cause analysis.

Here is an overview of how InterEnergy improved its BESS operation:

1. Supporting Warranty Claims

During commissioning, InterEnergy complemented its process with digital commissioning from TWAICE. It identified underperformance in a specific battery string. The analysis showed a disconnected module causing voltage imbalances and capacity loss.

• The Digital Commissioning Report provided a detailed root-cause analysis
• InterEnergy shared this data with its battery provider
• The defective string was replaced under warranty

2. Detecting Idle Equipment

Once in operation, TWAICE Energy Storage Analytics automatically flagged a non-operating string that had gone unnoticed due to the absence of alerts by the EMS. By distinguishing between data outages and idle operation, the team was able to quickly restore system capacity.

• The equipment supplier was notified
• Investigation revealed a defective module
• After repairs, 1.4 MWh of capacity was restored

3. Ongoing Monitoring & Optimization

InterEnergy’s operations team now continuously monitors system health.

• Performance KPIs and dashboards make it easy to spot performance deviations
• InterEnergy gains the necessary data for quicker root cause analysis
• When underperformance is detected, InterEnergy can use the detailed data provided by its analytics tool to address the issue and support discussions with its battery provider regarding its warranty
• Data-driven guidance provided by TWAICE significantly enhances the O&M team’s operational efficiency and decision making

The Impact

TWAICE Energy Storage Analytics helped InterEnergy shift from reactive to proactive BESS management:

• Restored 1.4 MWh of storage capacity
• Defective components detected and replaced to keep system availability high
• Reduced downtime through faster issue resolution
• Improved warranty outcomes with data to support warranty claims

With TWAICE, InterEnergy now ensures that every component in its BESS is performing as it should—and if it's not, they have the data to pinpoint the issue and take action, including supporting any warranty claims that may be necessary.

‍

Want to learn more? Ask our experts in a 1:1 demo.