Equipment: 200 kWh / 100 kW laboratory energy storage system (Lab-ESS), 90% DoD, 88% round-trip efficiency, 10-year calendar life — per OEM specification sheet, rev. 9.
Location: Middle East & Africa (MEA) — indicative composite, not country-specific.
Horizon: 10 years.
Discount rate: 8.00%.
Evidence date: 2026-04-09.
Decision (base case, bounded benefit defaults, zero revenue line): NPV = −147,431.51 USD; discounted payback = None; simple payback = None; LCOS = 0.4545 USD/kWh; IRR = n/a (cumulative undiscounted net is negative over the horizon). The asset-only base case does not pay back over 10 years on the inputs assumed. Procurement decisions are contingent on unlocking at least one revenue line (tariff-driven demand-charge savings, ToU energy-arbitrage value, or avoided ride-through / reference-cost value).
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| NPV (USD) | -147,431.51 |
| IRR | n/a (cumulative net negative) |
| Simple payback (year) | None |
| Discounted payback (year) | None |
| LCOS (USD/kWh) | 0.4545 |
| Total PV of costs (USD) | 142,362.48 |
| Total PV of benefits (USD) | -5,069.03 |
| Verdict (base, asset-only, bounded defaults) | NO-GO without confirmed revenue line |
Limitation: the benefit stream in this base case is bounded by the charge-cost vs. discharged-value gap shown in §2 and is therefore net-negative on the model assumptions stated. Any commercial decision must replace the bounded defaults with the destination-country tariff schedule (ToU windows, demand-charge structure) before re-running the model.
Lab-ESS systems of this class are typically deployed to (a) provide ride-through and voltage/frequency reference for sensitive test loads, (b) enable load-shifting where retail tariffs include time-of-use or demand-charge components, and (c) serve as a research platform for cell-cycling, inverter control, and protection studies. The 200 kWh class is common for pilot deployments at university labs, certification houses, and EPC integration facilities — small enough for indoor or containerised installation, large enough to exercise 50–100 kW power conversion stacks under realistic duty cycles.
For context, comparable publicly-marketed BESS products in adjacent classes include:
The Lab-ESS modelled in the tables below is a TradVolt specification, not an OEM product line; product specifications used as inputs (200 kWh / 100 kW / 90% DoD / 88% RTE / 10-yr calendar life) are stated in §2.
In MEA, the most relevant drivers are:
| Parameter | Value | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nameplate energy | 200 | kWh | Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9 — §3.2 Operating Limits |
| Usable DoD window | 90 | % | Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9 — §3.2 Operating Limits |
| Nameplate power | 100 | kW | Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9 — §3.1 Power Limits |
| Round-trip efficiency (DC-in / AC-out) | 88 | % | Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9 — §4 Performance |
| Calendar life at 35 °C average cell temp | 10 | years | Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9 — §6 Endurance |
| Annual throughput cycles (lab test schedule) | 280 | eq. full cycles/yr | TradVolt engineering estimate (5-day/wk, 1-cycle/day lab usage); bounded assumption |
| Turnkey CAPEX (FOB + freight + install) | $110,000 | USD | TradVolt MEA indicative price band, Q1 2026 (internal) |
| Annual O&M (preventive + remote monitoring) | $3,800 | USD/yr | TradVolt MEA service-agreement template (internal) |
| Insurance (% of CAPEX/yr) | 0.6 | % | TradVolt broker indicative quote, Q1 2026 (internal) |
| Discount rate (WACC, lab-owner) | 8 | % | TradVolt WACC assumption memo, MEA private-sector lab operators (internal) |
| Analysis horizon | 10 | years | Set equal to OEM-stated calendar life — Lab-ESS product specification sheet, rev. 9, §6 |
| Demand-charge savings | $0 | USD/yr | Pending customer tariff input — not modelled by default; see §8 Open Items |
| Energy-arbitrage value | $0 | USD/yr | Pending customer tariff input — not modelled by default; see §8 Open Items |
| Residual / end-of-life value | $0 | USD | Conservative — no second-life market confirmed for this class in MEA at horizon end |
| Duty / import VAT | see §5 | — | Country-specific — PENDING — see HS code block |
Bounded model defaults (explicit assumptions — not sourced facts):
asset.ess.degradation_pct_per_year = 2.0% / yr (linear capacity-fade envelope over the 10-yr horizon; bounded; OEM cycle-life curve not yet released).asset.ess.charge_cost_per_kwh = 0.060 USD/kWh (MEA composite retail-tariff placeholder; bounded; replace with site-specific tariff).asset.ess.value_per_kwh_discharged = 0.052 USD/kWh (avoided-cost basis for the lab's research-asset case; bounded; replace with confirmed ToU / demand-charge structure).With the defaults as stated, the discharged value per kWh (0.052 USD/kWh) is lower than the charge cost per kWh (0.060 USD/kWh); the model therefore records a net negative benefit on the throughput energy line. The COMPUTED TABLES below reflect this self-consistent treatment and are the only mathematics on this page.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Currency | USD |
| Horizon (years) | 10 |
| Discount rate | 8.00 % |
| Total undiscounted cost (USD) | 158,835.76 |
| Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD) | 142,362.48 |
| Total undiscounted benefit (USD) | -7,459.44 |
| Total discounted benefit (USD) | -5,069.03 |
| NPV (USD) | -147,431.51 |
| IRR | n/a |
| Simple payback (year) | — |
| Discounted payback (year) | — |
| LCOS (USD/kWh) | 0.4545 |
| Year | Cost (USD) | Benefit (USD) | Net (USD) | Discount factor | Discounted net (USD) | Energy (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 110,000.00 | 0.0000 | -110,000.00 | 1.00 | -110,000.00 | 0.0000 |
| 1 | 4,460.00 | -815.56 | -5,275.56 | 0.9259 | -4,884.78 | 50,400.00 |
| 2 | 4,549.20 | -799.25 | -5,348.45 | 0.8573 | -4,585.44 | 49,392.00 |
| 3 | 4,640.18 | -783.27 | -5,423.45 | 0.7938 | -4,305.31 | 48,404.16 |
| 4 | 4,732.99 | -767.60 | -5,500.59 | 0.7350 | -4,043.10 | 47,436.08 |
| 5 | 4,827.65 | -752.25 | -5,579.90 | 0.6806 | -3,797.58 | 46,487.36 |
| 6 | 4,924.20 | -737.20 | -5,661.41 | 0.6302 | -3,567.65 | 45,557.61 |
| 7 | 5,022.68 | -722.46 | -5,745.15 | 0.5835 | -3,352.24 | 44,646.46 |
| 8 | 5,123.14 | -708.01 | -5,831.15 | 0.5403 | -3,150.39 | 43,753.53 |
| 9 | 5,225.60 | -693.85 | -5,919.45 | 0.5002 | -2,961.20 | 42,878.46 |
| 10 | 5,330.11 | -679.97 | -6,010.09 | 0.4632 | -2,783.83 | 42,020.89 |
These tables are the only financial figures on this page. Costs escalate at 2.0%/yr (O&M inflation plus insurance premium indexing on CAPEX). The benefit line in years 1–10 is negative because, on the bounded defaults stated in §2, the value per kWh discharged is less than the cost per kWh charged; energy declines with the 2.0%/yr capacity-fade assumption. No methodology, closed-form derivation, or worked check has been added beyond the figures shown.
HS classification (candidate): 8507.60 — Lithium-ion accumulators (excluding spent and waste). See WCO Harmonized System nomenclature 2022 edition at https://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/nomenclature/instrument-and-tools/hs-nomenclature-2022-edition and confirm with customs broker before any commercial declaration.
Alternative candidate: 8504.40 — Static converters (if declared as the inverter-led assembly). See USITC HTSUS search at https://hts.usitc.gov/ and confirm with customs broker before any commercial declaration.
Duty rates: PENDING — MEA customs treatment varies by country, by free-zone status, by ATR certificate of origin, and by whether the goods are classified as a complete BESS unit or as components. Do not assert a specific MFN or preferential duty rate here. Reference lookup tools (use for engineer review only, not as quoted rates):
Lookup instructions:
Disclaimer: The HS classifications and duty references above are indicative candidates for engineer review only. They are not legal or fiscal advice and must not be used to declare, price, or commit to a shipment. TradVolt accepts no liability for misclassification. Always rely on a licensed customs broker and the binding ruling of the destination authority.
Applicable scheme (likely): IEC 62619:2022 ed2 (Safety requirements for secondary lithium cells and batteries for use in industrial applications including stationary/ESS), IEC 63056:2020 (ESS lithium-battery safety, to 1500 V DC), IEC 62485-5:2020 (Safe operation of stationary lithium-ion batteries), IEC 62109-1:2010 / IEC 62109-2:2011 (safety of power converters for use in PV power systems), UL 1973 (Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications), UL 9540 / UL 9540A (energy-storage system testing and certification) where the lab's accreditation chain requires North-American string. CE / EMC per destination. Conformity-assessment path is buyer-driven and must be confirmed against the lab's ISO/IEC 17025 scope and any accreditation-body (e.g. ENAS, A2LA, UKAS) requirements.
References:
UN transport classification: UN 3480 (lithium-ion batteries) or UN 3481 (lithium-ion batteries packed with / contained in equipment), tested per UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, sub-section 38.3 (ST/SG/AC.10/11/Rev.7) — see https://unece.org/transport/dangerous-goods/un-manual-tests-and-criteria. Air-transport compliance under IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) — see https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/dgr/.
CB scheme certificate: Pending — request from TradVolt.
Test reports: Pending — request from TradVolt.
Bill of materials disclosure (BOM): Available under NDA on request.
TradVolt publishes indicative TCO briefs to support engineering scoping. The COMPUTED TABLES in §3 are the only financial figures on this page and were produced by the scenario model from the inputs in §2. Where a duty rate, certification status, or product spec is required, it is marked PENDING and must be confirmed by the appropriate authority (or the OEM datasheet at the link shown) before any commercial commitment.