Storage Highlights 2020 – Megawatt Winner: Nilar

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Built in partnership with Messe Düsseldorf and Energy Storage Europe, pv magazine’s annual Energy Storage Highlights 2020 special edition is hot off the press. Join us to celebrate this year’s top five awardees at our Insight panel session with discussion among our Gigawatt winners and panel of expert jurors.

Introducing Megawatt Winner…

Nilar

Increasing sustainability of battery storage

In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have far overtaken nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Particular for stationary storage, lithium-ion dominates the market. Nilar, however, has come up with a NiMH solution it believes will provide significant advantages for the residential and C&I markets.

One of these advantages is increased sustainability. With a battery’s limited lifespan and the necessity for replacement, there are both waste and cost concerns. Nilar has developed a methodology which it says will allow its battery’s lifetime to be multiplied.

Nilar’s NiMH utilize a water-based electrolyte that can be regenerated. By filling the battery with oxygen, the same battery’s energy can be restored once it starts to wear out. Nilar expects an initial residential battery application to last for approximately 10 years. After application of the service, the battery could be used for another decade.

How will NiMH technology with the refilling option compare to standard lithium ion technology? “Lithium-ion batteries are common in the energy storage market because the demand for EVs has driven their development,” says Nilar. “We believe that NiMH batteries are more suitable for the energy storage market, since energy density and weight are of less concern.” While the up-front costs for their batteries are higher, their calculations result in a lower total cost of ownership after life extension.

Jury Comments

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Mark Higgins: “Kudos to Nilar for developing something that holds the potential to significantly improve the longevity and sustainability of existing battery systems.”

James Frith: “Nilar’s ability to regenerate their nickel metal hydride batteries is an elegant solution to help extend project life, therefore reducing the associated manufacturing emissions. Further to this, the system can be easily recycled, making end-of-life management less of a concern.”

pv magazine Storage Highlights Ceremony

Now as a Webinar!

You are invited to join us online for the pv magazine Storage Highlights Ceremony on March 11, 10am – 11:30am (CET)!

The Energy Storage Europe Düsseldorf has been postponed indefinitely due to Coronavirus. Consequently, we will not be able to host our Insight event live onsite. However, in the age of digitalization we will host the Storage Highlights Ceremony as a webinar.

The five Gigawatt Winners will pitch their winning applications to the expert jury panel with a subsequent discussion by the independent leading analysts.

Register now and join us! 

Jurors

Xavier Daval | CEO, kiloWattsol

Xavier Daval is an international solar and storage expert, and the CEO of French solar technical advisory firm kiloWattsol SAS, which he founded in 2007. Daval is an electrical engineer and the former EMEA director of a NYSE-listed manufacturer in the electronics industry. He is also the vice president of French renewable energy association Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables-SER, the chair of its solar commission SER-SOLER, and the director of the Global Solar Council (GSC).

James Frith | Head of Energy Storage, Bloomberg NEF

James Frith spearheads the energy storage team at BloombergNEF. He leads the company’s coverage on energy storage technologies and the lithium battery supply chain to provide insights on technology, markets, policies, and regulation. He leverages his background in battery research to provide key insights into the chemistries, applications, and markets for lithium-ion batteries.

Mark Higgins | COO, Strategen

Mark Higgins is the COO of Strategen, a professional services firm focused on market development for a decarbonized grid. Higgins also serves on the board of the Vehicle-Grid Integration Council, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing the role of smart EV charging. His past experience includes serving as the director of utility west at SunEdison, vice president of finance for Hu Honua Bioenergy, and Pacific Gas & Electric’s lead for key policy areas, including interconnection and transmission planning.

Julian Jansen | Senior Market Analyst - Solar & Energy Storage, IHS Markit Technology

Julian Jansen is a research manager at IHS Markit Technology, leading the group’s global research on stationary energy storage to provide deep insights on the key value drivers and emerging business models accelerating storage deployment across Europe and North America. Jansen also delivers strategic advice for bespoke projects on a range of new energy technologies.

Florian Mayr | Partner, Apricum

Florian Mayr is a partner at Apricum, where he provides expertise on energy storage, renewables, and e-mobility. Mayr supports companies around the world to advance clean technologies by providing counsel for strategy and transactions in the sector. Prior to joining Apricum, Mayr spent eight years in senior positions at McKinsey & Company and German utility RWE.

Nina Munzke | Teamleader Stationary Energy Storage Systems, Karlsruhe institute of Technology

Nina Munzke has worked at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, serving as the team leader of “Systems Control and Analysis” since 2012. At the KIT Electrotechnical Institute, her focus is on energy storage systems. Munzke has extensive experience in the field of dimensioning and simulation, in addition to developing intelligent system controls for stationary storage systems. She is also an expert in the evaluation of the performance of stationary storage systems.

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