Despite making huge strides forward, the energy storage industry’s work in helping stakeholders across the value chain understand the technologies and the roles they can play in a renewable energy future is far from done. Andy Colthorpe speaks with Energy Storage Association chief executive, Kelly Speakes-Backman, at the forefront of the industry’s push into unchartered regulatory, policy and public affairs matters.
While lithium-ion batteries get most of the headlines, long-duration energy storage solutions are gaining ground. Alice Grundy and Andy Colthorpe profile some of established and emerging concepts in this this increasingly important class of storage technologies.
As energy storage becomes an increasingly integral part of a renewables-based electricity system, new technologies are coming to the fore. Jens Noack, Nataliya Roznyatovskaya, Chris Menictas and Maria Skyllas-Kazacos from CENELEST, a joint research venture between the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology and the University of New South Wales, chart the rise of redox flow batteries, a promising alternative to lithium-ion-based systems.
Welcome to the latest edition of PV Tech Power. As we head into a new decade, it would be easier to look back over the spectacular journey solar has walked throughout the 2010s. From nascent technology to a stalwart of power system the world over, the last 10 years will be remembered as the decade of solar’s maturation. But rather than reflect on the journey so far, this edition of the magazine continues to push the envelope and instead glances forward. Indeed, what immediately jumps out is the level of sophistication that can be identified as you flick through the pages of issue 21 of PV Tech Power. 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. And if it’s sophistication you’re seeking, look no further than the issue of bifaciality, which litters the pages of this volume of the magazine. Trade body SolarPower Europe offers a glimpse at how entire swathes of the solar ecosystem is going digital, taking in new developments such as AI and machine learning. Previous editions of this magazine have charted the rise and rise of floating solar, and this has prompted renewed calls for standardisation in the field, as Jose Rojo Martin learns. But this sophistication is not just seen in solar. While recent analysis has shown marked decreases in the price of lithium-ion batteries, longer-duration batteries continue to be of real interest, and our resident energy storage experts Andy Colthorpe and Alice Grundy provide a comprehensive review of new developments in this area.
Batteries are increasingly widely used in grid balancing, but there are many more applications where a battery can play an important role. With electric grids requiring periodic maintenance, batteries can stand in for the grid during downtime in order to reduce the impact on industry and households, writes Dieter Castelein.
Power markets are evolving and beginning to value flexibility ahead of generation. As the UK’s networks companies move to embrace flexible generation assets, Liam Stoker spoke to some of the country’s leading providers to identify the hurdles and solutions to a more flexible power grid.
At 4:52pm on Friday 9 August 2019, the UK suffered its first wide-scale blackout in over a decade. More than 1.1 million consumers were plunged into the dark as rail lines screeched to a halt, traffic lights failed and even airports reported problems. Liam Stoker looks at the root causes, and how battery storage came to the rescue
Welcome to the latest edition of PV Tech Power. This is a special issue for a number of reasons. The journal has now been running for five years with a growing roster of industry experts sharing in-depth knowhow on everything from contract law to the pitfalls of east-west module layout. It’s also a special issue for us as it is the tightest marriage yet of PV Tech’s decade-plus of solar industry coverage and the expert analysis and reporting of our sister site Energy-Storage.News.
Our 19-page special report in this issue explores both the accomplishments of the energy storage sector and the ongoing challenges. Fittingly, Andy Colthorpe, editor of Energy-Storage.News, sets the scene, and much more.
The UK’s energy retail market is witnessing an exodus of customers leaving the so-called Big Six for independent suppliers, who are attracting them with home solar systems and a battery to match. Liam Stoker uncovers what’s behind the trend for new energy suppliers taking to domestic PV.
