Battery storage transport and power modules

Batteries are the heaviest freight for their size on a campus

A containerized battery energy storage system, a BESS, looks like a 20 or 40 foot shipping container and can weigh 60,000 to 90,000 pounds, because it is packed with lithium cells, racks, inverters and cooling. That is heavier than almost anything else on a data center build except a power transformer, and it ships on a flatbed or a lowboy under an overweight permit on a trailer with enough axles to stay within the per axle limits of each state it crosses. Battery cabinets for a UPS room are smaller, a few thousand pounds each, and ship upright in air ride vans like server racks, several to a trailer.

Lithium ion batteries are also regulated hazardous materials in transport. A shipment above the small quantity exemptions needs a carrier with a hazardous materials registration and drivers with the endorsement, proper placards, and shipping papers that describe the cells and their state of charge. We arrange that through carriers that are set up for it rather than treating a battery container as ordinary freight.

Containers, cabinets and modules

A BESS container moves like a heavy container: lifted by crane at the corner castings, set on a flatbed or a lowboy, and locked down with twist locks or chained at the castings. It is usually within legal width and height, so the permit is for weight alone. Battery cabinets and strings go in vans, strapped to the logistics track, with the cells at the state of charge the manufacturer specifies for shipping and the cabinets labeled accordingly. UPS modules, static switches and power distribution units are electrical cabinets, tall and heavy at the base, and ship upright in air ride vans or on step decks under cover.

The common mistake on this freight is mixing it with freight that does not belong on the same trailer, or sending it with a carrier that is not registered for hazardous materials. We check both before dispatch.

Permits, hazmat and the route

An overweight BESS container needs a permit from each state it crosses, with the axle spacing and the route on the permit, and some bridges and tunnels are closed to placarded hazardous materials loads. In California that includes certain tunnels and some routes through the Los Angeles basin, so the route is checked for both weight and hazmat restrictions, not just one. Nevada, Arizona and Utah each have their own permit offices and their own port of entry checks.

The trips are the usual western ones: Interstate 10 to Phoenix, Interstate 15 to Las Vegas and the Wasatch Front, Interstate 5 to the Bay Area, Sacramento and Portland, and Interstate 80 to Reno. We build the permit time and the hazmat paperwork into the quote so the container ships the week it is ready.

At the site

BESS containers are set on concrete pads or piers in a fenced yard, usually in rows with tight spacing between them, and the crane and the trailer both have to fit the layout. We confirm the pad plan, the crane position and the access road before dispatch. UPS and battery cabinets go to an electrical room, which usually means a dock or a lift gate, a floor rated for the weight, and inside delivery through partners when the cabinets must be set in place.

What we need to quote

• The unit: container size and weight, or cabinet count, dimensions and weights
• Battery chemistry, state of charge for shipping, and the shipping papers the manufacturer provides
• Whether the shipment is placarded, which decides the carrier and the route
• Pickup: factory, port transload or integrator, with its crane or dock and hours
• Delivery: pad plan or electrical room, crane or lift gate, inside delivery needs, and site hours