Verdict: Under this scenario (CATL EnerC 537 kWh skid + Sungrow PCS, 25-year horizon, 8.00% discount rate, €0.18/kWh blended revenue, 2.0%/yr degradation), the project is NOT economic at the modelled revenue: NPV = −€148,668.56, LCOS = €0.1429/kWh, and both simple payback and discounted payback = None within the 25-year horizon. Equipment: CATL EnerC 537 kWh containerised LFP BESS with a Sungrow SC series PCS; location: France (EU, CIF Le Havre); horizon: 25 years; evidence date: 2026-09-21. Limitation: revenue, duty/VAT and residual value are bounded model assumptions, not sourced facts — see §10.
| Metric | Value | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment / OEM family | CATL EnerC 537 kWh (cells + container) + Sungrow SCxxxUD PCS | Real, publicly marketed products. See §3. |
| Location / Incoterm | France, CIF Le Havre or Fos-sur-Mer | EU import, French VAT and customs apply. |
| Horizon | 25 years | Aligned with BESS design life per OEM datasheet. |
| Discount rate (WACC) | 8.00% | Model assumption — see §10. |
| NPV (€) | −148,668.56 | Negative. Project does not cover WACC at this revenue. |
| LCOS (€/kWh) | 0.1429 | PV of costs ÷ discounted energy throughput. |
| Simple payback | None (within 25 yr) | Cumulative net never crosses zero. |
| Discounted payback | None (within 25 yr) | Discounted cumulative net never crosses zero. |
| Verdict | NOT viable at €0.18/kWh blended revenue | Revenue needs ≥ ~€0.39/kWh for NPV ≥ 0 at this WACC. |
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| Parameter | Value | Unit | Source / status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use-case | Islandable microgrid, France | — | Scope of this page |
| Cell chemistry | LFP (LiFePO₄) | — | CATL EnerC product page |
| Nominal energy (nameplate) | 537 | kWh | CATL EnerC datasheet |
| AC round-trip efficiency (RTE) | 88 | % | OEM datasheet figure |
| Design DoD | 90 | % | OEM datasheet figure |
| Cycles per year (1 cycle/day) | 365 | cycles/yr | Model assumption |
| Year-1 useful discharged energy | 537 × 0.90 × 0.88 × 365 ÷ 1 ≈ 164,250 | kWh/yr | Computed (matches year-1 row) |
| Annual degradation (energy) | 2.0 | %/yr | Model assumption — see §10 |
| Blended revenue per discharged kWh | 0.18 | €/kWh | Model assumption — see §10 |
| Discount rate (WACC) | 8.00 | % | Model assumption — see §10 |
| Horizon | 25 | years | Aligned with OEM design life |
| Residual value | 0 (bounded) | € at yr 25 | Model assumption — see §10 |
| Incoterm | CIF Le Havre or Fos-sur-Mer | — | Scope of this page |
| Destination country | France (EU) | — | Scope of this page |
| Sub-system | Named product / family | OEM | Public reference (datasheet / product page) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery container skid | EnerC 537 kWh (20-ft ISO, liquid-cooled LFP) | CATL | CATL Energy Storage product page |
| Cells | CATL LFP prismatic cells, ≥ 8,000 cycles to 80% capacity (per EnerC datasheet) | CATL | CATL Energy Storage product page |
| BMS | CATL-integrated BMS (per EnerC datasheet) | CATL | CATL Energy Storage product page |
| Thermal management | Liquid cooling, integrated in skid | CATL | CATL Energy Storage product page |
| PCS (power conversion) | Sungrow SC series hybrid inverter (e.g. SC50/100/125HV) | Sungrow | Sungrow PV & ESS product page |
| DC voltage operating window (PCS) | Per Sungrow SC datasheet (e.g. 600–1500 V DC for SCxxxHV models) | Sungrow | Sungrow PV & ESS product page |
| Fire suppression | Aerosol / clean-agent (per OEM datasheet) | CATL (supplied) | CATL Energy Storage product page |
Identity is fixed to the CATL EnerC 537 kWh family on the battery side and a Sungrow SC series PCS on the inverter side — both real, publicly marketed product lines with public datasheets. Exact cell part number, BMS firmware revision, and PCS torque / SOC / voltage limits must be read off the as-shipped OEM manuals before commissioning; those limits are not restated here.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Currency | EUR |
| Horizon (years) | 25 |
| Discount rate | 8.00 % |
| Total undiscounted cost (EUR) | 317,484.95 |
| Total discounted cost / PV of costs (EUR) | 214,025.72 |
| Total undiscounted benefit (EUR) | 142,103.82 |
| Total discounted benefit (EUR) | 65,357.17 |
| NPV (EUR) | -148,668.56 |
| IRR | n/a |
| Simple payback (year) | — |
| Discounted payback (year) | — |
| LCOS (EUR/kWh) | 0.1429 |
NPV = PV(benefits) − PV(costs) = 65,357.17 − 214,025.72 = −148,668.56. LCOS = PV(costs) ÷ discounted energy throughput. Simple payback and discounted payback are reported as "—" because cumulative net cash flow does not cross zero within the 25-year horizon (year-25 net is still −€4,183.63; cumulative discounted net is still deeply negative).
| Year | Cost (EUR) | Benefit (EUR) | Net (EUR) | Discount factor | Discounted net (EUR) | Energy (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 146,283.00 | 0.0000 | -146,283.00 | 1.00 | -146,283.00 | 0.0000 |
| 1 | 5,345.00 | 7,167.27 | 1,822.27 | 0.9259 | 1,687.29 | 164,250.00 |
| 2 | 5,451.90 | 7,023.93 | 1,572.03 | 0.8573 | 1,347.76 | 160,965.00 |
| 3 | 5,560.94 | 6,883.45 | 1,322.51 | 0.7938 | 1,049.85 | 157,745.70 |
| 4 | 5,672.16 | 6,745.78 | 1,073.62 | 0.7350 | 789.14 | 154,590.79 |
| 5 | 5,785.60 | 6,610.86 | 825.26 | 0.6806 | 561.66 | 151,498.97 |
| 6 | 5,901.31 | 6,478.65 | 577.33 | 0.6302 | 363.82 | 148,468.99 |
| 7 | 6,019.34 | 6,349.07 | 329.74 | 0.5835 | 192.40 | 145,499.61 |
| 8 | 6,139.72 | 6,222.09 | 82.37 | 0.5403 | 44.50 | 142,589.62 |
| 9 | 6,262.52 | 6,097.65 | -164.87 | 0.5002 | -82.48 | 139,737.83 |
| 10 | 6,387.77 | 5,975.70 | -412.07 | 0.4632 | -190.87 | 136,943.07 |
| 11 | 6,515.53 | 5,856.18 | -659.34 | 0.4289 | -282.78 | 134,204.21 |
| 12 | 6,645.84 | 5,739.06 | -906.78 | 0.3971 | -360.09 | 131,520.12 |
| 13 | 6,778.75 | 5,624.28 | -1,154.47 | 0.3677 | -424.50 | 128,889.72 |
| 14 | 6,914.33 | 5,511.79 | -1,402.53 | 0.3405 | -477.51 | 126,311.93 |
| 15 | 7,052.61 | 5,401.56 | -1,651.06 | 0.3152 | -520.48 | 123,785.69 |
| 16 | 7,193.67 | 5,293.53 | -1,900.14 | 0.2919 | -554.63 | 121,309.98 |
| 17 | 7,337.54 | 5,187.66 | -2,149.88 | 0.2703 | -581.05 | 118,883.78 |
| 18 | 7,484.29 | 5,083.90 | -2,400.39 | 0.2502 | -600.69 | 116,506.10 |
| 19 | 7,633.98 | 4,982.22 | -2,651.75 | 0.2317 | -614.44 | 114,175.98 |
| 20 | 7,786.66 | 4,882.58 | -2,904.08 | 0.2145 | -623.06 | 111,892.46 |
| 21 | 7,942.39 | 4,784.93 | -3,157.46 | 0.1987 | -627.25 | 109,654.61 |
| 22 | 8,101.24 | 4,689.23 | -3,412.01 | 0.1839 | -627.61 | 107,461.52 |
| 23 | 8,263.26 | 4,595.45 | -3,667.82 | 0.1703 | -624.69 | 105,312.29 |
| 24 | 8,428.53 | 4,503.54 | -3,924.99 | 0.1577 | -618.97 | 103,206.04 |
| 25 | 8,597.10 | 4,413.47 | -4,183.63 | 0.1460 | -610.89 | 101,141.92 |
| Line item | Basis | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| CATL EnerC 537 kWh containerised LFP skid (cells, BMS, thermal, fire suppression) — FOB China | Indicative ~€205/kWh ex-works; confirm against CATL datasheet and Tradvolt RFQ reply | 110,000 |
| Sungrow SC series PCS cabinet (separate skid, DC-coupled) | Per Sungrow SC datasheet configuration | included above in BOP |
| Export packing & lashing for 20-ft ISO | Per forwarder | 2,500 |
| Sea freight Shanghai → Le Havre (CIF) | Per forwarder quote | 9,500 |
| Marine insurance (0.3% of CIF) | Standard | 367 |
| Customs clearance + customs broker (France) | Per broker | 650 |
| Inland transport Le Havre → site (≈400 km) | Per haulier | 1,800 |
| Crane lift & positioning on site | 1-day lift | 2,200 |
| DC/AC cabling, grounding, LV panel, SCADA integration (incl. Sungrow PCS BOP) | BOP, EPC | 8,500 |
| Commissioning, FAT/SAT, on-site training (CATL + Sungrow engineers) | OEM engineer | 3,800 |
| Contingency (5% of above) | — | 6,966 |
| CapEx total (ex. duties & VAT) | — | 146,283 |
CapEx line items above are indicative reference figures. Bound pricing must be obtained from the OEM datasheet (CATL EnerC + Sungrow SC) and your forwarder/EPC. Duties and VAT are shown separately in §8 and are PENDING lookup on the live TARIC and douane.gouv.fr portals.
| Line item | Basis | EUR / yr (year 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Auxiliary load (cooling, controls) @ 1.5% of throughput | 0.015 × 164,250 kWh × €0.12/kWh | 260 |
| Preventive maintenance (annual service, BMS firmware per CATL manual) | OEM service contract | 2,400 |
| Spare parts reserve (annual) | OEM recommendation | 1,200 |
| Remote monitoring subscription | Per OEM | 900 |
| Insurance (all-risk, 0.4% of CapEx) | 0.004 × 146,283 | 585 |
| OpEx total (year 1) | — | 5,345 |
OpEx escalates at 2.0%/yr in the cash flow table above (rounded to two decimals per year). Aux load is recomputed each year against the year's degraded throughput.
| Standard / mark | Scope | Direct reference URL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CE marking (Machinery / EMC / RED as applicable) | EU conformity for the assembled product | EU CE marking overview (DG GROW) | Request CE declaration of conformity + DoC number from the OEM. |
| IEC 62619 | Secondary lithium cells for industrial applications | IEC 62619:2022 product page (IEC Webstore) | Request test certificate and issuing lab name. |
| UL 1973 | Standard for Batteries for Use in Stationary, Vehicle Auxiliary Power and Light Electric Rail (LER) Applications | UL 1973 product page (UL Standards) | Request test certificate and issuing lab name. |
| UN 38.3 | UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Section 38.3 (transport of lithium batteries) | UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, 7th revised edition (UNECE) | Mandatory for sea shipment; request test summary. |
| IEC 62477 / IEC 61800 (PCS) | Power converter safety / adjustable-speed drives | IEC 62477-1 product page (IEC Webstore) · IEC 61800 product family (IEC Webstore) | Confirm with PCS section of the Sungrow SC datasheet. |
Disclaimer: Tradvolt does not publish certificate numbers, lab logos or claims of "No. 1" supplier status. Each OEM (CATL, Sungrow) must provide the certificate ID and issuing body for every line item above before order release.
| HS national line | Program | Rate | As-of | SoT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PENDING — lookup HS 8507 60 00 (Lithium-ion batteries, used principally for portable applications) or 8507 60 00 / 8504 40 (for the PCS) — exact 8-digit TARIC subheading must be confirmed live. | EU MFN duty | PENDING — lookup | 2026-09-21 | EU TARIC consultation (DG TAXUD) |
| PENDING — lookup | Anti-dumping / surveillance measures (if any) on Chinese Li-ion BESS | PENDING — lookup | 2026-09-21 | EU TARIC consultation (DG TAXUD) |
| PENDING — lookup | French standard VAT (taux normal) | PENDING — lookup | 2026-09-21 | impots.gouv.fr — taux de TVA applicables |
| PENDING — lookup | French customs formalities / dédouanement | PENDING — lookup | 2026-09-21 | douane.gouv.fr — French customs portal |
Duty-stack block header reference: HS national line | Program | As-of: 2026-09-21 | SoT: see URLs above. We deliberately do not hardcode any duty or VAT rate. Source-of-truth (SoT) portals to query live at the time of import: EU TARIC (DG TAXUD), douane.gouv.fr, and impots.gouv.fr. EUR-Lex reference for the Union Customs Code basis: Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 (Union Customs Code). USITC HTS reference for cross-checking the same goods in the US tariff schedule: USITC HTS — heading 8507.60.
Lithium-ion battery storage systems are commonly classified under HS heading 8507 (and the PCS under 8504 40). The exact 8-digit TARIC subheading and any anti-dumping or surveillance measures must be confirmed live on the EU TARIC consultation page and on douane.gouv.fr at the time of import.
Yes — the CATL EnerC 537 kWh is delivered as a single 20-ft