French battery maker Saft has launched EnerShift — an integrated system designed to help energy-intensive industries finance, deploy, and optimise the use of battery energy storage.

The TotalEnergies-owned company said on November 4 an industrial-scale EnerShift system in use at its Bordeaux site has already demonstrated a reduction in annual electricity costs by around 15%.

EnerShift combines BESS tech, energy management expertise, financing options and energy market optimisation into a single integrated solution, Saft said.

Depending on customer requirements, Saft said it can support projects from initial feasibility studies and business case assessment through financing solutions, system deployment and long-term operational optimisation.

A key differentiator of the service is its ability to unlock additional value from battery assets through participation in electricity markets. By intelligently charging and discharging batteries according to market conditions, industrial sites can optimise energy purchasing, capitalise on price fluctuations and capture the value of energy flexibility without adding operational complexity for site teams.

The Bordeaux installation combines a 9MWh BESS with advanced energy management and energy trading capabilities. Combined with additional value created through electricity market participation, the project is expected to pay for itself in around five years.

Saft’s ESS sales director Vincent Le Quintrec said: “Many industrial companies understand the operational benefits of energy storage, but financing and profitability often remain barriers to investment.

“Our objective is to help customers deploy battery systems but also maximise their economic return throughout the asset’s lifetime.”

Batteries International reported in October that Saft had launched new production lines in Bordeaux for solid-state batteries — which the company said made it the first French manufacturer to have the capacity to develop and produce solid-state batteries that use both sulfide and polymer electrolytes at room temperature.