US President Joe Biden announced a “major investment in domestic production of key minerals and materials” this week, including efforts to strengthen supply chains of lithium and other materials used in batteries.
The first awards of funding designed to “turbocharge” UK projects developing long-duration energy storage technologies have been made by the country’s government, with £6.7 million (US$9.11 million) pledged.
A US government pledge of US$2.9 billion support for the country’s battery manufacturing and recycling value chain is more like a band-aid than the “major surgery” required to fix the problem.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is opening a competitive funding round to provide up to AU$100 million (US$72.16 million) in support for large-scale battery storage projects.
A grant of €20 million (US$22.66 million) has been made to Namibia’s government-owned electric utility company for the development of the African country’s first grid-scale battery storage project.
A US$25 million virtual power plant (VPP) programme has been launched in Perth, Western Australia, while in the US, technology providers Enphase, Sunverge and LG have announced their involvement in VPPs in Arizona and California.
A tiny, coral reef-surrounded island in southern Japan will be able to use renewable energy as its main source of power, thanks to a microgrid with battery storage technology at its heart.
Around 20 energy storage systems (ESSs) are to be deployed at roadside service stations in the UK where the grid supply isn’t enough for rapid charging infrastructure, the country’s government has said.
