An impending €950 million (US$1.07 billion) acquisition of battery manufacturer Saft will enable French oil major Total to “span the value chain” and exploit synergies with EV and solar markets, an energy market expert has said.

Updated: A list of 100 influential companies quickly making their mark on the energy storage market in the UK and beyond is available for download, after its unveiling at the Energy Storage Summit at Twickenham Stadium.

SolarReserve eyes 1GW solar thermal storage deal in China, first bi-directional inverter launched and proposed Australian pumped hydro site up capacity to 450MW.

US residential installer SolarCity has closed US$150 million of financing to fund the deployment of commercial solar and storage systems.

A flywheel-battery hybrid storage system has been installed in Ireland, a system that the companies involved claim is the first of its kind.

The UK remains on track for a big push on energy storage with the latest budget backing changes proposed in a key report and an imminent consultation looking to shake-up the role of network operators.

A hydro power plant in Germany has installed a 3MW lithium-ion battery made by manufacturer ads-tec to perform frequency regulation.

German utility E.On is to develop its own energy storage products in partnership with manufacturer SOLARWATT.

Building control manufacturer Johnson Controls, a recent entrant to the energy storage market, has announced a US$20 billion takeover of security and fire protection firm Tyco as it looks to consolidate its offering in the smart building sector.

Flow battery manufacturer ViZn Energy Systems has won a contract to provide a 128kW/320kWh system for a US department of energy project.