For this third instalment of our look back at 2021, we’ve something of a mixture of views from around the industry.

The Solar Media editorial team reflect on what’s proven to be a frenetic 12 months for the global solar PV and energy storage industries.

Bringing you the thoughts of leaders from across the industry in our series of end-of-year blogs.

‘Zinc hybrid cathode’ battery storage company Eos Energy Enterprises has signed a long-term supply and collaboration agreement with industrial chemicals group TETRA Technologies.

FREYR Battery, a European startup developing advanced lithium-ion battery cells for mass production, has signed a 31GWh off-take agreement with an energy storage system manufacturer. 

LG Chem and LG Energy Solution have agreed to make a US$50 million investment into lithium-ion battery resource recovery and recycling company Li-Cycle.

A “novel and innovative” technology which uses CO2 as a medium to store energy could be made using off-the-shelf equipment and made available to the market as early as next year, the company behind it has said. 

Supply chain shocks are causing short-term rises in the price of lithium-ion battery packs, but overall the price trend is downward and by 2024 average prices could dip below US$100/kWh.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) supplies most of the world’s cobalt, but exporting semi-finished or finished products rather than raw materials would better help the country capture the value of the metal used in high power lithium-ion batteries.

Canadian Solar subsidiary CSI Solar has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) that will focus on energy storage and renewable energy technology.