The US’ installed battery storage capacity reached 1,650MW by the end of 2020, but the country is on track to have nearly 10 times that amount by 2024, according to the national Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar and solar-plus-storage systems will be installed at two nickel mines in Western Australia for BHP, a supplier to Tesla, while a Rio Tinto ilmenite mine in Madagascar will be powered by a solar-wind-storage hybrid plant.
Recognising the importance of energy storage for decarbonising and securing Australia’s energy system in the coming years, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has published two new sets of market rules.
Engie Chile has been awarded rights to develop two hybrid projects in Chile that will combine solar, wind and battery storage and have a combined capacity of 1.5GW.
Hybrid renewables are playing a strategic role in accelerating the decarbonisation of power generation and supporting the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as supporting the UK’s net zero by 2050 ambition and its interim emissions reduction of 78% by 2035. Consultant Peter Lo of ITPEnergised discusses the UK’s emergence into the hybrid energy sector and how it is better for our planet, better in the economics and better for offtake.
Global renewable energy development company Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) is building its first project to include solar PV and a battery energy storage system (BESS) at the same site, in Queensland, Australia.
There are several potential benefits to pairing electricity generation with energy storage, but US network operators still have some way to go to best accommodate the fast-growing interest in so-called ‘hybrid resources’.
Standalone battery energy storage can potentially offer better value to the US electricity system than pairing batteries directly with solar or wind generation, but the pros and cons of each approach vary greatly from project to project.
