Commercially viable energy storage has the potential to change the game by solving the energy trilemma. Arshad Saleem, from KIC InnoEnergy, which invests in and supports European sustainable energy, says marrying start-up innovation and big business experience could accelerate the journey to viability.
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.
German manufacturer SOLARWATT is preparing to launch its MyReserve energy storage system in the UK by developing a partnership network with installers and designers.
Battery manufacturer SimpliPhi will sell a high-voltage battery for the C&I market.
The future for Tesla-SolarCity could lie in aggregating rooftop PV with stationary energy storage, EVs and other distributed energy resources, the head of energy storage market analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has said.
Trina Best, the energy storage company begun as part of Trina Solar but now a separate entity in its own right, wants to go public by 2020 and has not ruled out building its own battery cell production facilities in future.
The proposed deal for Tesla to acquire US rooftop solar company SolarCity makes sense but could distract both parties from immediate core objectives, according to Lux Research.
BMW has announced plans to launch a stationary energy storage product for both residential and small commercial applications using the high-voltage batteries used in i3 electric vehicles, including those repurposed from existing EVs.
Tesla has made an offer to acquire SolarCity in stock swap deal that would give SolarCity shareholders a premium of 21-30%.
