Energy storage systems were historically used for grid balancing purposes within Europe, limiting their use to such applications or to be considered as “auxiliaries” to renewable generation assets. However, as market prices evolve and new revenue streams emerge, stakeholders must discover the diverse applications energy storage can tap into, writes Naim El Chami.

Another contract has been signed for energy from a large-scale solar-plus-storage plant by one of California’s Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) groups.

A grid-forming project in South Australia combining power electronics and battery storage to integrate wind and solar at a site near the end of a 120km 33kV transmission line is being replicated worldwide, the Head of Grid Edge Solutions at Hitachi ABB Power Grids has said.

Switzerland’s largest battery storage system has gone into action stabilising the electricity network for transmission grid operator Swissgrid, asset operator Alpiq has said.

South Australia’s state government has contracted for renewable energy retailer ZEN Energy to supply its facilities with power and in doing so has secured the future of a 280MW solar farm as well as a 100MW battery energy storage project.

US electricity provider Direct Energy Business will be using some of the world’s largest battery energy storage systems to help cover its customers’ peak demand for power, signing contracts with project developer and investor LS Power.

UK electricity system operator National Grid ESO is reviewing its previously-announced timescale for the introduction of two dynamic frequency response services and phase out of the existing market regime.

A deal covering co-development of projects in Chile and the wider Latin America region has been signed by Highview Power, provider and integrator of zero emissions liquid air energy storage (LAES) suitable for large-scale, long duration applications.

Tesla said that it more than doubled production volumes of grid-scale energy storage solution Megapack in the third quarter of 2020 as the company continues to ramp up production to “match unprecedented demand across the globe”.

Balancing the electricity supply system is not a simple task anywhere in the world, especially as more and more distributed energy resources come online. OpenADR can kick in, whenever the grid operator needs to reduce demand to keep the system stable. Aric Saunders of Electriq Power explains.