Some 5GWh of utility-scale battery energy storage was deployed in the first half of 2022, up one third while wind and solar fell 50-70%, according to American Clean Power (ACP).

Developer Cypress Creek Renewables has acquired four standalone energy storage projects totalling 400MW/600MWh in Texas, US, from Black Mountain Energy Storage (BMES).

Enel Green Power has completed a wind-plus-storage facility while RWE just installed all inverters on its own, both in Texas.

Blackstone portfolio company Aypa Power has closed an US$88 million construction and term loan facility for Wolf Tank, a 173MWh standalone energy storage project in Texas.

Battery storage is the most obvious medium-term solution to help stabilise the grid and act as a catalyst to enable renewable energy.

Microsoft will be the latest big tech player to use battery storage at data centres which will provide grid flexibility services.

US battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator Jupiter Power has turned its second 200MWh BESS online in Texas, bringing its total capacity in the state’s market to 450MWh.

Canadian Solar subsidiary Recurrent Energy has acquired two standalone energy storage projects in development totalling 400MWh in the ERCOT, Texas market.

US development bank NADBank is providing a US$65.7 million loan for a co-located solar project with an 80MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Texas.

Alongside its many benefits, growing deployments of energy storage will pose complex challenges around availability of data and resource planning for grid and distribution network operators.