Utility Xcel Energy has launched a ‘no money down’ resiliency offering for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in Minnesota.

The launch of an energy storage ‘as-a-service’ model by lithium battery pioneer Younicos is a “truly mobile offer” the company has said, based around renting assets to clients over two- to four-year contracts.

News in brief from around the world of energy storage.

Leaders in the fledgling commercial and industrial (C&I) sector in the US have made energy storage ‘as-a-service’ the core of their proposition, a market analyst has said.

Developer Convergent Energy & Power has installed a commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage system in Ontario for an injection-moulded plastics company, sized with 8.5MWh of batteries.

More than a quarter of US commercial and industrial (C&I) electricity users could potentially use energy storage to lower premium rates they are charged during periods of high demand, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has found.

Commercial energy storage economics are attractive today in seven US states, but according to GTM Research’s latest report, that number is to increase to 19 states by 2021, as storage costs continue to fall.

Silicon Valley’s Green Charge Networks, which mainly delivers energy storage systems for commercial customers and is involved in a deal to re-purpose ‘second life’ EV batteries, has been acquired by Engie.

US residential installer SolarCity has closed US$150 million of financing to fund the deployment of commercial solar and storage systems.

Energy storage specialist Imergy Power Systems has announced that its vanadium flow batteries will be used at a “smart micro-grid” demonstration project hosted by the US Navy.