Guest blog
Energy storage and solar - a lawyer’s perspective
Energy storage is the next obvious addition to solar plants in the UK. Elizabeth Reid of law firm Bird & Bird takes a look at some of the drivers, opportunities - and regulatory obstacles.
Articles tagged with: Regulatory
UK storage seeks stability and vision after shock election result
Energy storage firms have responded to the outcome of the general election with calls for stability, long term vision and an end to the “regulatory hurdles” that have limited the industry’s growth thus far in the UK.
Trump withdrawal from Paris wouldn’t halt ‘tremendous push’ for clean energy in US
Even if the US withdraws from the Paris Agreement on climate change, economics and popular support for clean energy mean the industry will not lose its momentum, the chief commercial officer of Younicos has said.
Industry urges Congress to consider energy storage in infrastructure plans
Arguing that energy storage is “critical to ensuring a resilient, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable grid”, the Energy Storage Association joined with 52 other organisations to plead the place of storage in the Trump administration’s infrastructure priorities.
Energy Storage Association: Trump can’t stop the inexorable rise of storage
There is a significant opportunity for energy storage under the Trump administration, the US Energy Storage Association has said.
‘Considerable confidence’ in UK storage projects as they win 15-year contracts
The number of battery storage projects to have won 15-year contracts in the latest Capacity Market auction is a sign of “considerable confidence” in the technology, according to the director of the Electricity Storage Network.
SolarPower Europe outlines 10 policy priorities for solar & storage
SolarPower Europe is calling on the European Commission (EC) to address both solar power and energy storage in its upcoming Energy Union Package. In light of this, the association’s Task Force on solar & storage has created 10 policy priorities that will need to be considered to develop an appropriate framework for those technologies.
UK government seeks views on transitioning to a smarter more flexible energy system
The UK government and regulator Ofgem have jointly launched the long-awaited call for evidence on the future of the country’s energy system, seeking views on the development of a smarter, more flexible and user-friendly network.
Editor's blog
Five issues the upcoming UK smart power consultation must resolve
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.
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UK storage call for evidence due “in the next couple of weeks”
The long-awaited call for evidence on UK energy storage and smart power policy, giving stakeholders the chance to put forward their views to government, will be released within the next couple of weeks according to the head of smart energy at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
California accelerates energy storage deployment with new legislation
The California state legislature and governor Jerry Brown have signed into law four key new energy bills that are set to accelerate energy storage deployment in the Golden State.
20% increase in grid-connected storage pipeline, says IHS
The global grid-connected energy storage project pipeline is forecasted to hit 2GW this year; a 20% increase on the figures for the end of 2015, according to new analysis by IHS.
Analysis
VIDEO: A framework for accelerating Germany’s solar-plus-storage market
Germany, until recently the leading European nation for installed PV capacity, extended a scheme to support purchases of lithium-ion energy storage systems for solar at the beginning of this year.
German solar-plus-storage households should not bear smart meter burden, industry group says
It would be unfair to put the burden of paying for the rollout of smart meters onto German households with PV-plus-storage when the devices would primarily benefit grid operators, trade association BSW Solar has said.
Analysis
Energy storage in 2016: Where do we go now?
Many have predicted 2016 will be the year when energy storage starts to live up to its hype. Andy Colthorpe canvased views from some of the leading figures and companies in the sector on the next developments a market that could help take solar and other renewables to the next level.
DNV GL says guidelines for ‘rapidly expanding’ electricity storage market can ‘reduce risk’
DNV GL’s new recommended practice guidelines for grid-connected energy storage systems is aimed at “reducing risks” for investors and the wider community, the document’s lead author has said.
Guest blog
COP 21: UK policy versus UK ambition
As a climate scientist, reducing carbon emissions is at the heart of Dr Jill Cainey’s working life, but is it at the heart of UK Government policy?
UK leaves energy storage out of solar FiT review
A document setting out new policy directions on solar support says the UK government has recognised the potential of energy storage but has decided the feed-in tariff would not be an appropriate mechanism to incentivise uptake.
Energy storage misses out for second time in UK capacity market auction
The UK’s Renewable Energy Association has slammed the results of an auction held to ensure the country has enough available capacity to avoid blackouts, with 153MW of energy storage bidding unsuccessfully in the tender.
Guest blog
Electric vehicles won’t eliminate urban air pollution - but they could help (a lot)
Since 2010, the cost of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles has dropped 60%, from $1000 to $400 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) according to analysis by BNEF. At the same time, concerns regarding urban air pollution and our need to deploy zero emission vehicles in these cities are increasing. Melissa C. Lott takes a closer look at how EVs could help - and what the limitations might be.
UK groups put solar-plus-storage at heart of cost-cutting, decentralisation strategy
The UK government could deliver cheaper electricity bills to households and businesses by pursuing a decentralised energy strategy with solar and storage at its centre, a new report co-ordinated by major consultancy group KPMG has claimed.
Former UK minister: Investment in storage is path to subsidy-free solar and 21st century network
Investing in energy storage batteries to “create a 21st century, decentralised energy system” could pave the way to a sustainable and subsidy-free future for solar in the UK, according to an influential former minister.
RMI: ‘Stack’ storage business models and put it behind-the-meter
Battery-based energy storage could provide up to 13 different services to the US electricity grid, while the usefulness of the technology increases the more ‘distributed’ it is along the system, according to a new report.
UK regulator’s flexibility study marks recognition of potential of storage
The recognition by regulators of the need for an enlarged role for energy storage in the UK is a major milestone for the sector, trade associations in the country have said.
Adobe earns money from California grid-balancing in aggregated storage pilot
Adobe is among the participants earning revenues from what is claimed to be an energy storage industry first – a trial rewarding California storage system users for conferring benefits to the grid.
Interviews
Video: Electricity Storage Network on UK storage strategy, maximising renewables and COP21
The UK’s Electricity Storage Network advocates and educates for a better understanding of the issues surrounding various storage technologies, and how they can be among a number of resources to help balance the country’s energy networks. The ESN’s Dr Jill Cainey, a research scientist with a background in atmospheric science and climate change, was among attendees to a recent round table discussion hosted by the Energy Storage division of PV Tech Storage’s publisher, Solar Media.
GTM: Top two regions deployed 88% of all US storage over two years
The two fastest moving regional markets for energy storage in the US have installed nearly 90% of the total deployed across the country for more than two years, according to GTM Research.
Scottish energy minister keen for joint UK storage strategy
On a visit to heat battery maker Sunamp’s office, Scotland’s energy minister Fergus Ewing outlined aims to collaborate with his counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on nationwide storage strategy, while Sunamp CEO Andrew Bissel says greater understanding of heat source batteries is needed for the technology to be included.
Editor's blog
Storage and the rise of the virtual power plant
Tesla’s much-hyped battery announcement in April raised important questions over what business models will drive the deployment of stationary battery storage. As Andy Colthorpe reports, one answer is the virtual power plant, in which residential and commercial battery systems are aggregated to provide grid services.
India to assess multiple levels of value in renewables-integrating storage
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited expressions of interest (EOI) for energy storage demonstration projects to integrate renewables, recognising that the technology “has the potential to become highly attractive for both grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy applications”.