Kansas’ biggest battery storage project awarded to FlexGen by community energy group
While it might be more than 200 times smaller than the world’s biggest battery energy storage system so far, a 1MW / 5.1MWh project awarded to technology provider FlexGen is expected to be the biggest of its kind in the US state of Kansas.
Energy storage markets ‘resilient to the pandemic’, says Wärtsilä CEO
Wärtsilä Corporation’s CEO has said that “activity in the energy storage market held up well” in 2020 despite a difficult year for the company due to prevailing market conditions around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finland targets investors after unveiling National Battery Strategy to develop manufacturing
Finland has launched a new battery development strategy and is touting for investors to build up its manufacturing industry.
Norway’s Statkraft and Germany’s RWE in deal to optimise 68MW of grid battery assets in Ireland
Norwegian state-owned energy company Statkraft is to provide market access and trading optimisation for battery storage assets being developed by RWE in Ireland.
UK ROUNDUP: Utility-scale, remote grid and virtual power plant energy storage news from Britain
News in brief from around the world in energy storage: this edition has a distinctly British flavour.
AES switches on 400MWh California battery project alongside ‘modernised’ natural gas plant
Updated: Alamitos, a 100MW / 400MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) has begun operations in southern California, where it will help the state overcome electric system reliability issues as it pursues its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.
European Commission gives green light to US$3.52bn battery storage funding
European member states are to bankroll dozens of projects to create new battery manufacturing solutions.
‘There’s no rational argument against having more battery storage in Mexico’
Mexico’s economy, international competitiveness and quality of power on the electric grid - as well as its environment - could be given a serious boost if battery energy storage systems were given a greater chance to contribute, a developer of projects based in the country has said.
North Carolina municipal utility ‘investing in cutting edge battery tech’ to reduce cost of power
North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for battery storage to manage its electricity costs, with 15-year contracts on the table for the delivery and operation of a turnkey energy storage system.
UK battery storage will be allowed to stack revenues in key grid-balancing markets
National Grid ESO, the electricity system operator tasked with keeping the lights on in the UK, is looking to enable multiple application stacking for providers of a new frequency response service that also participate in the national Balancing Mechanism.
BloombergNEF: Energy storage investment levels ‘steady’ at US$3.6 billion worldwide in 2020
Despite the fall in unit prices for energy storage, a total of US$3.6 billion of investment was committed to energy storage projects in 2020, around the same amount as in 2019.
Japan/California-funded flow battery used in tests ‘to help achieve zero-emissions microgrids’
A large-scale vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) demonstration project in California which has been providing grid services on a commercial basis will now also trial the use of the technology for microgrid applications.
Sungrow awarded supply contract for one of Texas’ largest battery projects so far
Solar inverter manufacturer Sungrow’s energy storage system (ESS) solution will power a 100MW battery storage project in Texas which is scheduled to go into operation in mid-2021.
US energy storage in 2021: Notes from a maturing industry
The US energy storage industry remained “remarkably resilient” during what most of us have found to be a difficult year - to say the least. Andy Colthorpe speaks with Key Capture Energy’s CEO Jeff Bishop and FlexGen’s COO Alan Grosse - two companies that made 2020 one of growth in their energy storage businesses - to hear what lessons can be learned and why economics rule.
French grid operator could award flexibility payments to batteries to ease congestion
France’s electricity transmission system operator, RTE, is exploring options to reduce congestion on the grid at four strategic locations around the country and could award long-term contracts to battery storage systems that can help.
Biden-Harris Administration picks Energy Storage Association CEO to join senior DoE leadership
Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the national Energy Storage Association (ESA), has been named in the newly appointed senior leadership team at the US Department of Energy (DoE).