Mining giant Rio Tinto is to develop a large-scale solar-plus-storage system at an iron ore mine in Western Australia, continuing a trend of hybrid renewables-plus-storage projects in the region.

A 100MW battery storage project – consisting of two 50MW batteries – has begun construction in the UK.

Pivot Power is keeping an eye on solutions other than lithium-ion, but chief executive Matt Allen stressed the need to focus on the now and deploy chemistries that are “ready and investable”.

UK-based Gresham House Energy Storage Fund has had an active month, ringing in 2020 with a slew of asset acquisitions and optimisation deals.

UK battery storage firm Zenobe has secured £25 million (US$32.93 million) in funding from Santander as it looks to continue its growth.

A wind farm with co-located battery storage, in development by UK-headquartered multinational renewables developer and EPC provider RES Group, is to go ahead in Australia.

By the middle of the 2020s, using hybrid ‘portfolios’ of batteries and renewable energy sources will economically outperform existing gas power plants, while the combination of technologies is already cost-competitive with building new gas plants, a new report from the US-based Rocky Mountain Institute has said.

Battery manufacturer Saft has provided E.On with two nickel battery systems at one of its distribution substations in Hungary.

UK battery storage investor Gresham House has turned to EDF Energy and energy tech firm Upside Energy to optimise revenues from a 20MW storage project in the UK.

Battery storage operators in the UK could be set for a raft of new opportunities after the country’s system operator National Grid called for a review of security standards.