The proposed 4GW nuclear plant in the UK has been labelled too expensive and too risky but supporters say it is crucial for the UK’s future energy mix. James Blackman looks into the realistic role energy storage technology could play in any mooted alternative plans to keep Britain’s lights on.

The global grid-connected energy storage project pipeline is forecasted to hit 2GW this year; a 20% increase on the figures for the end of 2015, according to new analysis by IHS.

The United Kingdom’s decision by referendum last week to exit the European Union has been received negatively by one of the few commentators prepared to go on record with a UK industry view.

The White House announcement of new developments and investment in energy storage has been characterised as “the first executive office push for energy storage” that will “undoubtedly galvanize” the industry, in a new GTM Research brief by the firm’s energy storage director Ravi Manghani.

President Obama has announced a raft of activity focussing on the development, investment and regulatory framework for energy storage.

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.

Operators of transmission infrastructure and wholesale markets in the US have supplied their views on energy storage to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with industry and other stakeholders expected to follow. Energy-Storage.News’ Andy Colthorpe spoke with Energy Storage Association policy expert Jason Burwen on what he describes as a “systematic review” that could have a transformative effect on the market and drivers for storage.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited expressions of interest for what may be India’s first utility-scale energy storage project to be combined with a solar and wind hybrid project at Rangreek in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh.

The US energy storage market grew 243% last year, making 2015 the biggest year of any on record for storage, according to GTM Research.

Germany’s support programme for solar-plus-storage systems, which offers a rebate on the devices, has been officially re-launched as expected by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy.