Microgrids—distributed systems of localised generation, distribution network and load—are being increasingly deployed particularly in rural areas of emerging and under-developed countries to achieve energy access. However, a “fragmented and unorganised” sector still faces significant challenges, writes Harsh Thacker.
Every year sees energy storage build on the success of the preceding one, it seems, and this year we were able to carry insights and opinions from some of the best placed participants and observers. Here’s our picks for the content most representative of the year it’s been, as well as the 10 most read news stories on the site.
There is no shortage of vendors looking to offer batteries and energy storage for the residential market. Greg Wolfson of Enphase discusses AC- and DC- coupling of batteries and why his company felt AC is the way to go.
By combining PV with a storage solution, homeowners gain from a variety of possibilities to increase self-consumption, improve system profitability, and get backup power. However, it is important to know how to select the right kind of storage solution. Lior Handelsman of SolarEdge discusses some of the main factors involved.
New value propositions which will radically change the way energy is generated and used by end-customers are already accelerating energy storage market growth. Julian Jansen of Delta-ee takes a look at three distinctive types of business model which are taking shape.
The UK’s government department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) and its regulator, Ofgem, have jointly launched a Call for Evidence on System Flexibility for the country’s power networks, putting storage at the forefront. Anthony Price, head of trade group the Electricity Storage Network spoke to Energy-Storage.News about the document, which gives stakeholders until January to respond.
As the long-awaited call for evidence (CfE) on the future of the UK’s smart power policy gets ever closer, David Pratt outlines the five key areas the UK government is seeking to address in the upcoming document.
Energy storage in the US is being propelled forward by falling costs and increasingly favourable markets and policy. But for the full value of storage to be realised, numerous regulatory and fiscal barriers must still be surmounted, writes Matt Roberts.
From the outside, the VPP looks like a single power production facility that publishes one schedule of operation and can be optimised from a single remote site. From the inside, the VPP can combine a rich diversity of independent resources into a network via the sophisticated planning, scheduling, and bidding of DER-based services. Peter Asmus examines the role energy storage can play within this architecture.
Seeking to delve beyond headlines, hype and overarching market forecasts, renewable energy veteran and executive recruitment specialist David Hunt spoke with some of the energy storage industry’s leading figures to understand how the various market segments are growing and how things could develop from here.
