A grid storage trial which has been billed as the largest of its kind in Europe became operational yesterday.
Parallels are frequently drawn between the nascent energy storage business and solar 10 years ago – that it needs strong policy direction to take off. Andy Colthorpe profiles some of the areas emerging as world pioneers in supporting the deployment of storage.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a US non-profit organisation which is funded by electric utilities, will test and evaluate a battery storage system paired with a 1MW solar array in Cedartown, Georgia.
The growth of technologies such as PV and storage will hit utility company revenues to the tune of US$130 billion a year within a decade, according to a study published yesterday by management consultancy Accenture.
Dean Frankel of Lux Research blogs about utility Southern California Edison’s recent 235MW award of battery-based energy storage projects, a decision which surpassed their 50MW requirement by some distance and was described as “monumental” by one trade advocacy group when it emerged. Frankel examines the procurement in detail and looks at some of the questions that remain as-yet unanswered by the announcement.
Infrastructure and engineering firm Black & Veatch and power conversion system maker Dynapower have signed an agreement to collaborate on energy storage, with a focus on grid-scale technologies.
Japan-headquartered trading company Marubeni Corporation has entered into an agreement with EnerG2 to secure exclusive Asia distribution rights to the Seattle-based manufacturer’s advanced carbon materials, intended for energy storage devices.
Developer Belectric has connected an energy storage system at a large-scale solar power plant in Germany, which will be the first in Europe to operate on the primary operating reserve market.
A new academic study claims that batteries used in plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) could be used to stabilise electrical grid networks, as well as for providing houses and businesses with backup power.
Large-scale battery projects of the type announced earlier this month by Renewable Energy Systems (RES) America are a “natural fit” for renewable energy developers, according to one analyst.
