PV Tech Power 21: Flow in focus, long-duration contenders and the ESA

December 17, 2019
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“Energy storage is certainly there to integrate intermittent resources like solar and wind and help enable our grid to get cleaner, but it’s also there for grid operators to improve the efficiency of the grid, to improve resilience. We are there for an efficient, affordable and sustainable grid.”

Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO, the US national Energy Storage Association (ESA), 2019.

The latest volume of PV Tech Power, Solar Media’s quarterly technical journal for the downstream sector, is now available to download free of charge.

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This edition’s cover story comes from the deserts of the Middle East, where researchers are getting to grips with the issue of soiling and what can be done to prevent it.

We also take an extensive look at how solar is making great strides in the Middle East, and SolarPower Europe provides a glimpse at how digitalisation is taking over the solar ecosystem.

As always, ‘Storage & Smart Power’, the dedicated section curated and created by Energy-Storage.news, also returns as part of the magazine. This quarter, we look at:

Contenders: Long-duration technologies and who’s behind them

Some of the promising long-duration energy storage technologies – and their champions. While lithium-ion batteries get most of the headlines, long-duration energy storage solutions are gaining ground. We’ve profiled some of established and emerging concepts in this increasingly important class of storage technologies.

Redox flow batteries for renewable energy storage

A team from CENELEST, a joint research venture between the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology and the University of New South Wales, charts the rise of redox flow batteries. A truly deep dive, the article is a thorough examination of various types of flow energy storage and what stands between them and greater success.

Taking charge: Energy Storage Association CEO Kelly Speakes-Backman

Despite making huge strides forward, the energy storage industry is far from done with its work in helping stakeholders across the value chain understand the technologies and the roles they can play in a renewable energy future. Former regional utilities’ commissioner Kelly Speakes-Backman is one of the people working to make that happen every day. With more than 180 member organisations, ESA is speaking up for a big wedge of stakeholders in the energy sector that see renewables and energy storage as a day-to-day business as well as an aspiration and social good.

Many thanks to all that downloaded the PV Tech Power Volume 20 including the Energy Storage Special Report 2019, which is also still available as a standalone PDF from the ‘Resources’ section of this site.

Download PV Tech Power 21 here (subscription details required).

6 October 2026
Warsaw, Poland
The Energy Storage Summit Central Eastern Europe is set to return in September 2025 for its third edition, focusing on regional markets and the unique opportunities they present. This event will bring together key stakeholders from across the region to explore the latest trends in energy storage, with a focus on the increasing integration of energy storage into regional grids, evolving government policies, and the growing need for energy security.

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