{"schemaVersion":1,"slug":"battery-power-conversion-system","name":"Battery power conversion system","kind":"symbol","abbreviation":"PCS","aliases":["PCS","battery inverter","storage power conversion system"],"category":"microgrid-systems","drawingTypes":["SLD"],"referenceFamilies":["IEC","IEEE / ANSI","Manufacturer"],"summary":"The bidirectional inverter stage of a battery plant that charges and discharges the DC battery from the AC network.","description":["The power conversion system is the bidirectional converter that sits between the battery DC bus and the AC network in a storage plant. It charges the battery by rectifying AC and discharges it by inverting DC, under the direction of a plant controller that sets active and reactive power or operates in a grid-forming mode.","Drawings show a converter box with both AC and DC marks and a bidirectional energy-flow arrow, a DC breaker or switch on the battery side, and an AC breaker, filter and often a medium-voltage skid transformer on the network side. Several PCS units may share one transformer.","The symbol does not tell you whether the unit can black-start a dead bus, how much overload it can supply or how it limits fault current. Those features drive protection settings and must be read from the converter specification."],"readingNotes":["Look for the bidirectional energy-flow qualifier to confirm charge and discharge capability.","Check the transformer and filter on the AC side."],"drawingChecklist":["State kW, kVA and DC voltage window.","Show DC and AC switching and filters.","Reference control modes and black-start capability."],"distinction":"A PCS is a utility or commercial storage converter; an inverter-charger is a smaller low-voltage unit with an integral AC transfer relay.","facts":[{"label":"Energy flow","value":"Bidirectional"},{"label":"Ratings","value":"kW, kVA and DC voltage window"},{"label":"Network side","value":"Filter and often a skid transformer"},{"label":"Preview","value":"Independent educational illustration; consult the applicable standard and project legend for the exact graphic"}],"references":[{"sourceId":"energy-storage","relevance":"Public power conversion context for battery storage."},{"sourceId":"iec-public-energy","relevance":"Public IEC-context energy-flow qualifier family used for the bidirectional mark."}],"related":["battery-energy-storage-system","iec-bidirectional-energy-flow-qualifier","bidirectional-inverter-charger","grid-forming-inverter"],"artwork":"s28-battery-power-conversion-system","publishedOn":"2026-10-28","updatedOn":"2026-10-28","provenance":"independent-public-research","plainEnglish":{"title":"What does Battery power conversion system mean?","introduction":"The power conversion system is the bidirectional converter that sits between the battery DC bus and the AC network in a storage plant. It charges the battery by rectifying AC and discharges it by inverting DC, under the direction of a plant controller that sets active and reactive power or operates in a grid-forming mode.","example":"Drawings show a converter box with both AC and DC marks and a bidirectional energy-flow arrow, a DC breaker or switch on the battery side, and an AC breaker, filter and often a medium-voltage skid transformer on the network side. Several PCS units may share one transformer.","drawings":"The symbol does not tell you whether the unit can black-start a dead bus, how much overload it can supply or how it limits fault current. Those features drive protection settings and must be read from the converter specification.","terms":[{"name":"DC","meaning":"Direct current: electricity flowing in one direction."},{"name":"AC","meaning":"Alternating current: electricity whose direction changes periodically."},{"name":"Winding","meaning":"A coil of conductor inside an electrical machine or transformer."}],"diagram":"flow","steps":["Identify the device and form","Read the connections and state","Check the equipment reference"],"caption":"A guide to reading this reference. The original symbol illustration and its drawing notes appear below; these boxes are not a wiring diagram.","sources":[{"label":"Battery energy storage and power conversion","url":"https://www.eaton.com/sg/en-us/products/energy-storage.html"},{"label":"Autodesk IEC-60617 preview: Energy-flow qualifiers","url":"https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-2039C5DD-1C01-4D77-AD97-584052C53D75.htm"}],"detail":"The bidirectional inverter stage of a battery plant that charges and discharges the DC battery from the AC network. A PCS is a utility or commercial storage converter; an inverter-charger is a smaller low-voltage unit with an integral AC transfer relay.","profileId":"reviewed-symbol-20261028"},"url":"https://eloragrid.ai/symbols/battery-power-conversion-system","illustration":{"url":"https://eloragrid.ai/tools/electrical-library/illustrations/battery-power-conversion-system.svg","scope":"Original educational concept; not an official standard graphic or product footprint","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"sources":[{"id":"energy-storage","title":"Battery energy storage and power conversion","publisher":"Eaton","url":"https://www.eaton.com/sg/en-us/products/energy-storage.html","type":"manufacturer","scope":"Explains battery storage and the power-conversion interface. Product-specific installation requirements remain with the manufacturer.","checkedOn":"2026-10-13","reuse":"link-only","relevance":"Public power conversion context for battery storage."},{"id":"iec-public-energy","title":"Autodesk IEC-60617 preview: Energy-flow qualifiers","publisher":"Autodesk","url":"https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-2039C5DD-1C01-4D77-AD97-584052C53D75.htm","type":"cad-reference","scope":"Public publisher IEC-context family names and vendor block references. No vendor images or CAD library files are reproduced, and vendor tokens are not presented as verified IEC database identifiers.","checkedOn":"2026-10-14","reuse":"link-only","relevance":"Public IEC-context energy-flow qualifier family used for the bidirectional mark."}]}