The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) put battery storage into the mainstream of the US energy industry, but also created supply chain complexities, writes Rauni Jaskari of Wärtsilä Energy Storage and Optimisation (Wärtsilä ES&O).
The new tariffs on batteries from China will increase costs for US BESS integrators by 11-16%, consultancy Clean Energy Associates said, adding that new guidance around the domestic content ITC adder will make it easier to access.
Global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator Fluence saw an 11% revenue drop in revenues in the three months ending 31 March, 2024, while it is also launching a higher energy density product and US module production this year.
The energy storage arm of Canadian Solar said the technology ‘has more complexity than solar’ when it comes to nearshoring manufacturing away from China, and local cell manufacturing could be part of the long-term strategy to leverage domestic content incentives.
A second life energy storage assembly plant has opened in Germany, amidst a rapid fall in battery prices which could threaten the economics of repurposing EV batteries into stationary units.
Developer Monsson Group and system integrator Prime Batteries Technology have inaugurated a 6MW/24MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Romania, the country’s largest.
Battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution has started construction on its gigafactory in Arizona, US, which will have 17GWh of production dedicated to the energy storage system (ESS) market.
A battery storage ‘gigafactory’ in India will commence operation in October this year, with a planned ramp-up to 20GWh annual production capacity within three years.
Europe’s response to the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been a big talking point at Giga Europe, and one panellist said the simplicity of the IRA has been key to its success.
