Queensland plans to confiscate solar subsidy from battery storage users
The Queensland government plans to remove the premium feed-in tariff (FiT) from PV consumers on its Solar Bonus Scheme who install energy storage batteries.
Residential
NYSERDA’s US$6.3m funding for commercial development of energy storage technologies
Up to US$6.3 million in funding will support the commercialisation of emerging energy storage technologies in New York, from public benefit corporation NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Agency).
2020 FiT expirations could be inflection point for Germany’s residential energy storage sales
Residential energy storage in Germany for PV self-consumption could be handed a boost in 2020, as some of the earliest premium feed-in tariffs (FiTs) begin to expire.
Ice Energy, Genbright to deploy 1MW of ice energy storage in Nantucket
Genbright, a New England-based company specialised in developing clean energy systems, and distributed thermal energy storage provider Ice Energy announced a partnership last week that will help cut down on Nantucket’s peak energy demand using Ice Energy’s energy storage solutions.
India to add more than 1GWh of lithium-ion battery assembly capacity this year
Orders for distributed energy storage and the rise of an electric mobility market have kick-started a battery assembly push in India.
Australia’s standards body seeks comments on draft of ‘controversial’ battery install guidelines
Stakeholders have two months to comment on guidelines for safely installing lithium-ion energy storage in Australian homes being drafted by Standards Australia, which have already proved controversial.
Australia’s Finkel review: renewables post-2020 should have energy storage, dispatchability
Australia’s chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel has recommended that after 2020, wind and solar projects should be required to pair with energy storage capacity or dispatchable generation plants to enhance the security of the power system.
Interviews
Bankability, insurability, investability: Fraunhofer ISE’s Dr Matthias Vetter
Dr Matthias Vetter, head of department for electrical energy storage at the testing institute Fraunhofer ISE on educating investors, the prospects for 2nd life batteries and the impact of thermal management on project lifetimes.
GTM: US energy storage deployments up 944% since last year
Energy storage in the US has just enjoyed its greatest quarter for megawatt-hours deployed, up almost 1000% from the equivalent period last year, installing 233.7MWh.
California closer to creating energy storage rebate for utility customers
The US state of California’s Senate has approved a bill that would provide rebates to customers for the purchase of energy storage systems, bringing the legislation a step closer to introduction.
Renault looks to drive UK storage boom with second-life Powervault deal
French car maker Renault has brokered a partnership to provide second-life battery units to UK home storage supplier Powervault.
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.
BYD: EV-driven cost reductions essential for cost-effective energy storage
Leaning on an existing track-record and manufacturing scale of electric vehicles (EVs) and their batteries remains an essential component to delivering cost-effective energy storage, BYD global sales director Julia Chen has said.
Samsung SDI exhibits new residential energy storage products at Intersolar
At this year’s Intersolar Europe trade show in Munich, South Korean battery manufacturer Samsung SDI is exhibiting a range of high-capacity, high-voltage residential storage modules.
Interviews
‘Germany is still our most important market’: Sonnen’s Philipp Schröder
With Intersolar Europe and the accompaying ees Europe events taking place this week for PV systems and energy storage respectively in Munich, we thought it timely to speak with Philipp Schröder, managing director for sales and marketing at Germany's leading storage provider, Sonnen.
ees Europe show opens this week at Intersolar in Germany
Intersolar Europe opens its doors this week in Munich, Germany, and with it comes ees Europe, an accompanying exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems.