The latest test method addresses the fire propagation behavior of a residential battery energy storage system if a thermal runaway propagation event leading to an internal fire were to occur during the system’s lifetime.

At Intersolar Europe 2024, ESS News spoke with spoke with Paul McCusker, President EMEA Region at Fluence, about the company’s regionalization strategy and its ambition to bring a locally made products to its customers in Europe. McCusker also spoke about EMEA-region specific technology preferences and requirements, particularly regarding noise levels and safety. Additionally, he presented his views on battery price movements and key challenges to market growth.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy is readying to launch a tender on September 2 and provide Capex support for the construction and commissioning of 3 GWh of standalone energy storage facilities. The public call is for projects equal to or greater than 10 MW with at least two hours of storage capacity, which will be primarily used in the frequency regulation markets.

At Intersolar Europe 2024, ESS News spoke with George Hilton, research and analysis manager at S&P Global, about the state of play in the battery energy storage supply chain and falling prices. According to Hilton, the overcapacity at every level of the supply chain has led to prices that are no longer sustainable for many market players. Meanwhile, technological innovation has led to an unprecedented variety of battery storage technologies on offer, and for a great number of markets the right time to jump in is now.

Dutch developer Lion Storage has secured an irrevocable building permit for its 364 MW/1457 MWh battery energy storage project located in the Vlissingen port, in the southwestern Netherlands.

A set of technological improvements incorporated into the new product NAS MODEL L24 allows for lower maintenance costs compared to the earlier sodium sulfur battery type developed by the two manufacturers.

The Volkswagen Group has announced its entry into a new business segment with its charging and energy brand Elli. It will develop massive industrial battery energy storage systems, including initial 350 MW/700 MWh projects already in its pipeline.

Researchers in Australia have developed a new class of solid electrolytes for rechargeable aqueous zinc-iodine batteries, which has allowed for extended lifespan and high-efficiency. Symmetric cells employing this electrolyte have demonstrated excellent cycle performance, maintaining stability for approximately 5,000 hours at room temperature, while all-solid-state ZnI2 batteries exhibit over 7,000 cycles with a capacity retention exceeding 72.2%

US-based start-up SorbiForce uses no toxic products or metals in production of its batteries. It claims its systems are cheaper and safer than lithium-ion batteries and have near zero end-of-life waste.

Researchers in South Korea have successfully demonstrated the use of free ambient air as a fuel leveraging a sodium-based solid electrolyte to tackle the carbonate issue that has been holding back the rollout of metal-air batteries. Their sodium-air battery cell has demonstrated high efficiency, incresed energy density, and a broad voltage range.