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.
The growth potential of energy storage has drawn interest from some of the biggest names in the power business and beyond. With the trend set to continue, Andy Colthorpe explores how three of the recent targets are faring under new ownership.
As the building blocks of energy storage systems, batteries have a key role in influencing system design and economics. Davion Hill of DNV GL explores the importance of testing the performance of individual battery cells in minimising the exposure of battery buyers to technical risks.
Intersolar Europe returns after a notably buoyant edition last year. Since then the continent has seen solar winning out in German tenders, France continue its own deployment schedule and both Spain and Portugal building up an impressive pipeline. Our correspondent in Shanghai, Carrie Xiao, provides an update on China’s latest policy reorganisation. Our Storage & Smart Power section, produced with our colleagues from Energy-Storage.News, includes a superb read on the impact of a recent spate of M&A activity. Andy Colthorpe speaks to Sonnen, Younicos and Greensmith about life under the ownership of Shell, Aggreko and Wartsilla respectively. Testing and certification has received a lot of attention in the solar sector but investors must be as rigorous when investing in energy storage. DNV GL provides some pointers on the criteria that should be assessed before choosing a partner.
A key missing piece in the clean energy puzzle is the question of how to provide baseload power in an electricity system dominated by intermittent renewables. Javier Cavada of Highview Power examines cryogenic long-duration storage as a possible solution.
In the hierarchy of grid needs, peaking power is often a priority in terms of providing resiliency and balance to the network. This is usually provided by natural gas turbines, which come at a high environmental and economic cost. Andy Colthorpe charts the rise of the solar-plusstorage peaker plant.
Welcome to the eighteenth edition of PV Tech Power. Bifacial system costs come under the spotlight. DNV GL looks at floating solar design. We also have papers on O&M business models, the European solar finance market that is supercharging the post-subsidy pipeline, an in-depth look at Turkey from the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and much more. Our regular Storage and Smart Power section returns with Andy Colthorpe at the helm as always.
The solar industry endured an eventful 2018 with the US establishing its trade tariffs on module imports and China hitting the brakes on deployment, yet, through sheer determination, everyone ended the year feeling fairly optimistic. There is lots of cause for hope in 2019. Module prices are down for the timebeing, seeding subsidy-free markets. We are on the cusp of technological gains that can tilt that balance even further in solar’s favour. Traction with energy storage is clearing up grid headaches and creating new sources of revenue. Our ultimate 2019 briefing addresses all this and more. Our regular Storage and Smart Power section, meanwhile, includes an in-depth look at California’s vibrant market as decrees turn into deployment.
