The energy landscape is increasingly volatile. Steve Ennis, manufacturing sector manager for Aggreko, explores the potential for battery energy storage systems (BESS) to become the industry’s safety net, looking at how it can address the issues of grid shortages, spiking energy costs, and sustainability pressures.
Aggreko
Industrial energy costs in Europe were, on average, over double that of the United States, and nearly 50% above those in China. This was before current geopolitical events caused prices to spike to a potentially damaging degree. There’s no way around it: it’s hard to imagine a more challenging energy landscape for European pharmaceutical manufacturers at present. But the need to stay competitive remains the same.
Unpacking the ‘energy trilemma’
There are three key elements, the ‘energy trilemma’, that, when managed effectively, can help European pharmaceutical manufacturers have the edge.
Resilience makes up one part of the trilemma. Manufacturers who can ensure process continuity and compliance, even in the face of external challenges will have an obvious advantage over its competitors. However, the primary challenge here is the increasing unreliability of grid infrastructure, which is starting to put a strain on European pharmaceutical manufacturers.
For instance, a leading science and technology company in the Republic of Ireland, wanted to expand its manufacturing capabilities with the construction of a new facility. The issue they came up against was that a grid connection for this site would be several years away, representing a loss of hundreds of millions of Euros per annum2. Fortunately, they found the solution in temporary on-site power generation, which allowed the customer to remain resilient and ramp up production even in the face of such grid limitations.
Efficiency is the second consideration. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is energy‑intensive, particularly across cleanrooms, HVAC systems, controlled environments, and utilities. Reducing on-site energy consumption while maintaining the same level of output and regulatory compliance continues to be a focal point for plant managers. However, the recent extremes of price volatility have added a renewed incentive to cut energy consumption to ensure operating expenses do not eat into margins, which could lead to a worrying reduction of output or added risk if not balanced correctly.
Finally, but equally important, is sustainability. The need to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the end-to-end manufacturing operation is a challenge that all manufacturing sectors are facing, bound to achieving net zero by 2050. In practice, and for the most part, this means sourcing sustainable energy to power the plant.
BESS in the spotlight
These considerations lead us to BESS. A safety net that holds significant potential to address all these challenges, BESS offers a credible path through this current volatile energy landscape. These systems are already being widely used across adjacent sectors such as construction and data centres, and European pharmaceutical manufacturers should be following their lead to reap the same benefits.
BESS can optimise energy consumption, lower the emissions of temporary power systems, and enable sites to absorb the types of shocks that are reverberating across the market. By storing electricity during off-peak hours when on-site energy usage is low and then discharging it during peak times, BESS becomes particularly valuable during periods of high demand. Of course, this leads to a significant reduction in the higher costs utility providers charge during peak demand.
How BESS works
BESS can be used as a ‘stop gap’ between the grid and other back-up systems, providing reassurance and helping to ensure production continuity when emergencies strike. BESS can supply supplementary power to primary power systems faster than a gas or diesel generator, proving reliability and resilience.
While BESS alone is not an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), costly outages can be circumvented while waiting for gas or diesel units to be brought online. This also extends to planned maintenance and shutdowns as BESS is suited to powering process equipment, control systems and safety lighting in situations with limited power access. Crucially, this capability helps maintain GMP compliance by ensuring operational continuity during outages, transitions, and emergency scenarios, reducing the risk of production loss or regulatory non‑compliance
This application is being used right now. Recently, an Italian pharmaceutical manufacturer approached us when their UPS was found to be faulty during a site-wide power failure. This could lead to outages with no back-up power supply, which could ripple into deeper financial ramifications and regulatory risk. To avoid this scenario, we supplied a 90kVA BESS complete with 25 metres of cable, which was fully integrated into the site’s set-up after a series of reactions tests, allowing production to continue without fear of further outages.
Why BESS works
BESS works as a way to overcome grid challenges when the grid is unable to provide sufficient power. When grid capacity is at maximum, BESS absorbs and stores excess energy from the grid, so when supply falls short, the energy can then be used to manage peaks and troughs. The scenarios where power is limited, BESS can supply resilience to primary power systems, keeping operations stabilised.
Reaching sustainable goals, and furthering along the integration of renewables, can also be reached with the assistance of BESS. While the excess energy produced by means such as wind or solar can be lost if the grid is at capacity, BESS doesn’t let excess energy go to waste. Instead, it is stored and released as necessary, ensuring a steady and reliable power supply.
Manufacturers, who want to take this a step further, have the option of a decentralised microgrid. This system offers total independence from national grid infrastructure and BESS works hand in hand with this technology, enhancing efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.
BESS for a better future
Many European pharmaceutical manufacturers are unaware or underutilising the potential of BESS, but for the manufacturers that aren’t, they are reaping the benefits and holding the competitive edge. But it is understood that manufacturing is an industry that runs on certainty, and that the current energy landscape offers very little room for risk. Even less so now.
It is why using BESS on a hired basis might be the first practical step for pharma plants. BESS provides managers with the means to integrate and test this technology, helping inform long-term decisions without the risk associated with an outright purchase. Crucially, hire‑based BESS allows energy capacity to scale in line with operational demand—particularly important for single‑use manufacturing, where batch‑driven and modular production requires flexible, rightsized energy provision. It also offers valuable support for pilot lines and emerging modalities, such as cell and gene therapies, where power requirements may evolve rapidly as processes mature.
Through this approach, the industry can have a proven safety net and take full control of its resilience, efficiency, and sustainability.