The Nobel Foundation recognised not only the role of lightweight, portable battery technology for mobile phones, laptops and latterly electric vehicles, but also that it “can also store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making possible a fossil fuel-free society”.

A new white paper from Wärtsilä Energy shows that being able to integrate and then optimise all of these different assets is the key to ensuring that your project – and your investment – is going to provide the maximum benefit, longest possible lifetime in the field – and the best business case. Risto Paldanius, Director of Business Development, Energy Storage and Integration at Wärtsilä told us a bit more about what optimization really means in today’s energy market.

Solarwatt shows off new ‘training and explaining’ app for installers of the company’s modular battery energy storage systems.

“With no large-scale batteries participating in the wholesale market in New York, the first day we turned the battery on it was exciting to see if all our internal models were correct in how the battery would behave,” KCE’s COO Dan Fitzgerald told us.

We talk about how solar and storage can be competitive with fossil fuels, how Solaredge is maintaining its own competitive advantage as well as some exclusive inside info on the company’s forthcoming residential battery energy storage systems.

Some choice words from conversations with Scott McGregor, CEO at redT, Avalon Battery president and chief product officer Matt Harper and NEXTracker’s chief technology officer, Alex Au.

VIDEO: Using solar and batteries to replace diesel and other fossil fuels at off-grid industrial sites is both a viable business model and a way to “inject” solar into the global energy mix in a smart – and economical way, MD Karim Wazni says.

We also asked what it means for the company to now be under SolarEdge’s ownership, why effective management and control of batteries may be a more important safety question than just which battery chemistry to choose.

Going 100% renewable doesn’t have to be at odds with modern life as we know it. Q CELLS technical sales expert Cyril Hinz talked us through the concept as well as the equipment for the company’s new holistic energy solutions.

Thanks to “innovative business models” and the combination of PV with batteries, Japan’s “solar boom” is far from over, market expert Izumi Kaizuka of RTS PV has said.