GE’s investment in Sonnen shows a shared belief in online trading of energy and other digitally-enabled services as the fastest potential drivers of a profitable energy storage industry, according to a Sonnen director.

Simpliphi Power’s cobalt-free lithium-ion storage systems, which claim to eliminate the threat of thermal runaway, have been integrated into the Global Sustainable Energy Solutions (GSES) inaugural solar mobile training courses in Australia.

Enphase has confirmed that its AC battery, now available for installers to order in Australia and New Zealand, is priced in the region of AU$1,150/kWh (US$838/kWh), as originally announced last October.

German lithium-ion based energy storage system maker Sonnen says it achieved an undisclosed “seven-figure sales number” in the US in the first quarter of this year.

An impending €950 million (US$1.07 billion) acquisition of battery manufacturer Saft will enable French oil major Total to “span the value chain” and exploit synergies with EV and solar markets, an energy market expert has said.

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.

Germany, until recently the leading European nation for installed PV capacity, extended a scheme to support purchases of lithium-ion energy storage systems for solar at the beginning of this year.

It would be unfair to put the burden of paying for the rollout of smart meters onto German households with PV-plus-storage when the devices would primarily benefit grid operators, trade association BSW Solar has said.

Microinverter maker and energy management specialist Enphase has started taking orders from installers for its AC battery for home PV systems in Australia and New Zealand, with shipments to start arriving in August 2016.

Oil and gas company Total has proposed to buy battery company Saft, which produces devices for the stationary storage industry as well as for transport and other applications.