A 1.2GW hybrid tender in India coupling pumped hydro, batteries, solar and wind power has achieved tariffs that are highly competitive against coal power, according to prominent industry figures.

Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the Energy Storage Association and 2019 Cleanie Awardee for Woman of the Year, says Federal issues remain important, but we shouldn’t ignore the actions on the ground across the US.

An energy storage system made up of ‘second life’ batteries previously used in Renault’s electric vehicle (EV) has been deployed for Umicore, a multinational materials technology company headquartered in Belgium.

EU decision-makers have recognised the key role energy storage can play, integrating it into the EU’s Clean Energy Package (CEP) in some critically important ways. Valeska Gottke at BVES looks at how Germany’s industry is working towards these same goals.

The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) has welcomed provisions in finance minister Nirmala Sitharam’s Union Budget 2020-2021 to support renewables and prioritise climate change policy, although the group hopes more will be done to support in-country manufacturing of batteries for applications including ESS.

News in brief from around the world in energy storage.

Tesla has anticipated a solid 2020 on the renewable deployment front after its figures for 2019 proved stellar for storage installs but far less so for PV additions.

Wärtsilä Corporation has announced 126MWh of energy storage across two project deals in the past week in two far-apart regions of the world.

French renewables company Voltalia has gained planning permission for a 40MW solar farm with battery storage in Dorset, England.

New-build solar and wind could outcompete most existing fossil fuels by 2025, while standalone energy storage also has a future in its own right, Nextera Energy executives have predicted.