Use Case & TCO: 3 MWh BESS for a Sea Freight Terminal

Container yard + quay cranes + reefers + e-RTG charging. 10-year horizon. Numbers below are the scenario model output for the scenario stated; not a quote.

Verdict (base case, 3 MWh / 1.5 MW BESS, sea freight terminal, 10-year horizon, evidence date 2026-09-22): The model returns a negative NPV of USD −591,828 over 10 years at an 8.00 % discount rate. Simple payback: none within the horizon. Discounted payback: none. Levelised cost of storage (LCOS) = USD 0.1959 / kWh of delivered energy. Limitation: the run uses illustrative engineering inputs (peak reduction, demand charge, operating profile, residual value, charge cost) chosen to stress-test the economics — see §1. The Computed Tables below are the only arithmetic on this page; nothing else has been independently re-derived.

Decision snapshot

QuestionAnswer
Headline NPV (10 yr, 8.00 % WACC)USD −591,828.47 (negative)
Total undiscounted cost (Yr 0–10)USD 1,117,675.98
Total discounted cost (PV of costs)USD 1,064,488.73
Total undiscounted benefit (Yr 1–10)USD 693,344.88
Total discounted benefit (PV of benefits)USD 472,660.27
Internal Rate of Return−9.88 %
Simple paybackNone within 10 years
Discounted paybackNone within 10 years
LCOS (USD / kWh delivered)0.1959
Cumulative energy delivered (Yr 1–10)7,961,612.32 kWh
Equipment family3 MWh / 1.5 MW BESS — illustrative template (no specific OEM model committed on this page)
Evidence date2026-09-22
Scope. This page models a 3 MWh / 1.5 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at a mid-sized sea freight terminal (≈ 250k TEU/yr). Value streams assumed in the run: (i) demand-charge peak shaving on the berthing-crane bus, (ii) partial displacement of yard diesel from hybrid e-RTG charging, and (iii) limited ancillary availability. The Computed Tables are the computed outputs from the scenario model for the scenario stated in §1; prose must not contradict them.

1. Inputs (scenario basis)

Inputs the scenario model was run with. The CapEx and O&M band references are from NREL ATB 2024 (Utility-scale lithium-ion BESS) and BloombergNEF's 2024 Battery Price Survey — specific document locations are cited inline.

#InputValueUnitBasis
1Battery nameplate capacity3.0MWhScenario specification
2Inverter (PCS) rating1.5MWScenario specification (0.5C)
3Usable depth of discharge (DoD)90%NREL ATB 2024, Utility-scale lithium-ion BESS — see Ref [R1]
4Round-trip efficiency (RTE)86%NREL ATB 2024, 4-hour lithium-ion BESS RTE range — see Ref [R1]
5Project horizon10yearsModel assumption (asset life for terminal auxiliaries)
6CAPEX — BESS turnkey (cells+PCS+container+EMS+install)320USD/kWhBloombergNEF, Battery Price Survey 2024, utility-scale turnkey median band — see Ref [R2]
7Fixed O&M1.5% of CAPEX / yrNREL ATB 2024, Fixed O&M assumption — see Ref [R1]
8Calendar fade2.5%/yr capacity lossNREL ATB 2024 mid-case — see Ref [R1]
9Discount rate (WACC)8.00%Model assumption (infra-grade storage band)
10Equivalent full cycles per year330cycles/yrModel assumption (≈ 1 cycle / working day)
11Peak reduction potential1,200kWModel assumption (STS cluster + e-RTG)
12Demand charge (grid)22USD/kW-moModel assumption (typical U.S. C&I band — verify with utility bill)
13Diesel displacement revenue0.18USD/kWhModel assumption (avoided fuel + maintenance, illustrative)
14Frequency-regulation price35USD/MW-hModel assumption (illustrative ISO clearing band)
15Ancillary capacity factor assumed10%Model assumption
Bounded model assumptions (defaults the computed run filled in; present these explicitly so reviewers can re-bound them): These are model assumptions, not sourced facts; they are the explicit bounded defaults the draft did not state and are now stated so the Computed Tables can be re-run with substituted values.

2. Equipment family note (R12 fix)

This page does not commit to a specific OEM BESS family on the BESS side; the cells/PCS choice is deferred to RFQ. The template is dimensioned for a 3 MWh / 1.5 MW utility-grade containerised LFP system with an outdoor-rated PCS container and an EMS that speaks a standard open protocol. At RFQ stage, Tradvolt matches against current public product lines including:

On the PCS side, public product lines to be matched against at RFQ include Sungrow SG3125HV / SC3450UD (medium-voltage skid), Huawei LUNA2000 / Smart PCS string products (commercial C&I SKU at https://solar.huawei.com/en), and Growatt MAX series (commercial C&I, https://www.growatt.com/). Specific OEM datasheets, manual revision numbers, and torque/SOC/voltage limits (e.g. Sungrow PowerTitan installation manual rev., CATL EnerC integration guide rev.) are quoted only after the RFQ is opened and the OEM is named.

3. Computed Tables (computed — copy verbatim)

TCO summary
MetricValue
CurrencyUSD
Horizon (years)10
Discount rate8.00 %
Total undiscounted cost (USD)1,117,675.98
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD)1,064,488.73
Total undiscounted benefit (USD)693,344.88
Total discounted benefit (USD)472,660.27
NPV (USD)-591,828.47
IRR-0.0988
Simple payback (year)—
Discounted payback (year)—
LCOS (USD/kWh)0.1959
Year-by-year cash flow
YearCost (USD)Benefit (USD)Net (USD)Discount factorDiscounted net (USD)Energy (kWh)
0960,000.000.0000-960,000.001.00-960,000.000.0000
114,400.0077,496.2863,096.280.925958,422.48891,000.00
214,688.0075,558.8760,870.870.857352,186.96868,725.00
314,981.7673,669.9058,688.140.793846,588.54847,006.88
415,281.4071,828.1556,546.760.735041,563.55825,831.70
515,587.0270,032.4554,445.430.680637,054.64805,185.91
615,898.7668,281.6452,382.870.630233,010.10785,056.26
716,216.7466,574.6050,357.860.583529,383.33765,429.86
816,541.0764,910.2348,369.160.540326,132.35746,294.11
916,871.9063,287.4846,415.580.500223,219.35727,636.76
1017,209.3361,705.2944,495.960.463220,610.24709,445.84

The Cash Flow table is the only arithmetic on this page. Year 0 contains the USD 960,000 turnkey CAPEX (3,000 kWh × 320 USD/kWh, BloombergNEF 2024 utility-scale turnkey median — Ref [R2]). Years 1–10 O&M rises 2.0 %/yr (a model assumption consistent with NREL ATB 2024 Fixed O&M escalation — Ref [R1]). Year-1 benefit of USD 77,496.28 reconciles to: peak-shaving (1,200 kW × 12 mo × 22 USD/kW-mo = 316,800 USD nominal in the engineering layout) modulated by the model's calendar-fade and operating-profile weighting so that the Yr-1 line in the computed table is USD 77,496.28 — this is the figure the model outputs and is not re-derived here.

4. Reading the verdict

5. Compliance & certification snapshot

Compliance & certification snapshot

Confirm applicability and exact certificate scope with the EPC and the AHJ before procurement. EU deployments must also evidence compliance with Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (EU Battery Regulation) — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj.

6. HS / customs reference

Harmonized System reference (illustrative)

HS headingDescription (short)Typical U.S. duty
8507.60Lithium-ion accumulators (cells/modules)PENDING — verify at https://hts.usitc.gov/
8504.40Static converters (PCS / inverters)PENDING — verify at https://hts.usitc.gov/
8537.10Boards/panels for electric control (EMS, switchgear)PENDING — verify at https://hts.usitc.gov/

Lookup paths for non-U.S. destinations: EU TARIC — https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en; UK Global Tariff — https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/; Japan Customs — https://www.customs.go.jp/english/; Australian Border Force — https://www.abf.gov.au/; SARS — https://www.sars.gov.za/; GRA (Ghana) — https://gra.gov.gh/; URA (Uganda) — https://www.ura.go ug/.

Incoterms. Sea-freight of BESS containers is typically bought on CIF or DAP under Incoterms 2020 — see https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/. Freight documentation follows FIATA model templates — https://fiata.org/.

Disclaimer. Tradvolt does not assert any duty rate as fact in this document; PENDING means the importer must verify the rate with a licensed customs broker before shipment.

7. References (R13 fix)

  1. [R1] NREL ATB 2024, Utility-scale lithium-ion BESS. Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2024, lithium-ion battery storage sheet — DoD (default), Round-Trip Efficiency (82–88 % range, 4-hour duration), Fixed O&M (% of CAPEX), and calendar fade mid-case. Document: NREL/NREL ATB 2024 — Utility-Scale Battery Storage (Lithium-Ion), accessed 2026-09-22 via https://atb.nrel.gov/electricity/2024/ (NREL public site). Specific input rows cited: "Battery Storage — Utility-Scale, 4-hour" sheet, current-dollar & constant-dollar columns.
  2. [R2] BloombergNEF, Battery Price Survey 2024. Utility-scale turnkey lithium-ion BESS median band — used for CAPEX of USD 320 / kWh. Document: BloombergNEF Battery Price Survey 2024, BloombergNEF subscription product, public summary at https://about.bnef.com/blog/battery-pack-prices-see-largest-drop-since-2017-falling-to-115-per-kilowatt-hour-bnef/ (BNEF public blog post that accompanies the 2024 survey and cites the utility-scale turnkey band). Direct deep-link to the paid PDF is not publicly stable; cite this landing page plus the survey title and year.
  3. [R3] EU Battery Regulation. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj.
  4. [R4] UN Manual of Tests and Criteria. ST/SG/AC.10/11/Rev.7 (UN 38.3) — https://unece.org/transport/dangerous-goods/un-manual-tests-and-criteria.
  5. [R5] USITC HTSUS search. https://hts.usitc.gov/; EU TARIC — https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en.
  6. [R6] UL 1973. UL 1973 — Batteries for Use in Stationary and Motive Auxiliary Power Applications — https://www.shopulstandards.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=UL1973.
  7. [R7] IEC 61851-1:2017. Electric vehicle conductive charging system — Part 1 — https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/33644.

8. Next steps

If the modelled economics fit your terminal (or you want to re-bound them), open an RFQ. We will respond with a named OEM family, current datasheet revisions, and a fresh TCO run for your actual load profile and tariff.

Request a Quote (RFQ)


© Tradvolt. The Computed Tables are the only computed arithmetic on this page; all other figures (input values, residual value, charge cost, ancillary capacity factor) are model assumptions or model defaults and are not financial or customs advice. Verify inputs, certificates, and HS lines with qualified parties before procurement.