A roundup of large-scale European BESS project news, with Principia completing a project in Greece, Repono buying one in Romania, Kyon choosing optimisers for two in Germany and Voltalia and NGEN targeting Portugal.

Ameresco has put Arizona’s largest behind-the-meter battery energy storage system (BESS) into operation, meanwhile Alliant Energy has begun operating Wisconsin’s largest BESS to-date.

Leading energy storage technology companies, developers, operators and outstanding individuals are featured on the shortlists for this year’s Energy Storage Awards (ESAs).

The non-profit Energy Policy Design Institute (EPDI) has launched the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Convergence Project, with an advisory group that includes Jigar Shah, former director of the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office.

Utility and power firm Naturgy has started building its first BESS projects in Spain, at four solar PV plants in Almeria and the Canary Islands.

Powerlink Queensland is seeking federal approval for transmission infrastructure connecting AGL Energy’s 2,000MWh Tuckeroo battery energy storage system (BESS) to the Western Downs Substation in Australia.

The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has approved Ark Energy’s 3,148MWh Richmond Valley solar-plus-storage project in Australia.

Fluence has announced a solar-plus-storage project in Arizona, while Greenflash Infrastructure adds to its Texas BESS portfolio.

The US administration has a clear distaste for climate issues, but economics and data centres can still drive a clean energy transition.

A flurry of grid-scale BESS project progress totalling more than a combined 1.5GWh in the past week, from Renalfa in Bulgaria, Engie in Romania, Nala Renewables in Finland and Metlen in Greece.