We hope you've enjoyed our series looking back on last year's challenges, milestone and successes and looking ahead to a busy 2019. After featuring a range of views from industry participants and experts, now it's my turn to throw out some predictions for the year ahead...
Convergent Energy + Power, a US-Canadian project developer which has attracted investment from the venture capital arm of Statoil, has acquired 40MW of flywheel energy storage already in operation in grid-balancing markets in New York State and Pennsylvania.
South Australia state-run firm SA Water plans to deploy 152MW of solar PV and 35MWh of energy storage over the next two years in order to reach its target of zero net electricity costs by 2020.
In much the same way that the industrial revolution changed society all those years ago, electrification is now the driving force behind the industrialisation of multiple sectors. Energy storage has an obvious role, but Olivier Chabilan of Skeleton Technologies looks at something you might not have considered - ultracapacitors.
News in brief from around the world of energy storage.
Melbourne-headquartered mining giant BHP, in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), has projected 500MW of potential capacity combining solar, wind and energy storage at its old North American mining sites.
Multinational utility Enel will assess the effectiveness of flywheels, having signed an agreement with Amber Kinetics, a manufacturer of the energy storage devices.
Jamaican utility company Jamaica Public Service (JPS) announced Monday that its board of directors has approved a hybrid energy storage solution which — pending approval from the Office of Utilities — will be the first of its kind in the Caribbean.
Hybrid systems combining the complementary aspects of more than one technology could “change the energy storage landscape”, with 2.1GW predicted for deployment in less than 10 years, according to a report from Navigant Research.
The UK is to become home to Europe’s largest battery flywheel system in a first for the country which will provide fast acting frequency response services and aid the integration of renewables.
The German state of North-Rhine Westphalia looks set to go ahead with a 200MW pumped hydro energy storage project in a coal mine, as well as a smaller energy storage demonstration project which includes a flywheel from Stornetic.
Hawaiian Electric has teamed with Californian storage company Amber Kinetics on a 4-hour duration flywheel energy storage pilot project in Oahu.
Australia-based Ecoult has been selected by German developer Freqcon to install its UltraBattery lead-acid ultracapacitor hybrid for energy storage at South Dublin’s Tallaght Smart Grid Testbed.
German firm talks up its flywheel energy storage system as a solution for wind farms and public transport.
US state of Massachusetts recommends large-scale energy storage installations, sweeping policy changes, and wide-ranging pilot programme, a month after it proposes storage procurement targets for local utilities.
A flywheel-battery hybrid storage system has been installed in Ireland, a system that the companies involved claim is the first of its kind.
PG&E presents 75MW of energy storage contracts to CPUC, AMS appoints Alain Steven as CTO, Wattstor installs UK’s ‘first’ non-toxic saltwater battery storage system.
Swiss-headquartered power and automation specialist ABB is to use its PowerStore technology, involving flywheels with wind and batteries plus solar, to integrate renewable energy and reduce reliance on diesel fuel in two separate micro-grid projects in Africa.
Canadian Solar has finalised a deal to provide 4MW of energy storage, to be used to support the electrical grid in Ontario, Canada.
The Canadian province of Ontario is preparing to install a variety of new energy storage technologies after finalising details of a 34MW commercial-scale storage trial.
The first grid-connected energy storage facility in Canada, in the country’s leading solar province, Ontario, is now operational.