Concrete flywheel storage system for residential PV
A French start-up has developed a concrete flywheel to store solar energy in an innovative way. Currently being tested in France, the storage solution will be initially offered in France’s overseas territories and Africa.
Construction begins on Spain’s first gigafactory
The factory is located in Noblejas, in the province of Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha, and is planned to reach a capacity of 10 GWh by 2025.
Italy has 189 MW/295 MWh of distributed storage capacity
The country added around 73.5 MW/109.2 MWh of new, small-sized storage capacity in 2020. Most of the batteries are in Lombardy and Veneto, where rebates are being offered.
General Motors expands EV investments, plans more U.S. battery manufacturing capacity
General Motors said it is accelerating plans for two new battery cell plants in the United States.
Lithium-ion battery modules for energy intensive e-transport applications
Swiss manufacturer Leclanché will build the new battery modules at its manufacturing facility in Yverdon-Les-Bains. These products can be used for transport applications such as marine, commercial vehicle, and railway.
NanoGraf unveils new battery chemistry materials
NanoGra’s silicon-oxide anode material can increase battery capacity in the 18650 form factor by an initial 12% at commercially competitive prices.
Gravity-based storage for distributed solar
An international research team has designed a residential solar-plus-storage system based on gravity. The system was built with a solar power generator, a bulk booster charge controller, an inverter, a solenoid device, a deep cycle battery, a pulley block, a geared motor, a microcontroller, and wire ropes. Its creators said the system is ideal for regions with high solar radiation. They found that, due to its high electrical requirements, the system needs to rely on high-power solar modules with an output of over 500 W.
New tool aims to streamline fast-charging EV station design
A new project offers a design and validation framework for renewables-based microgrid configurations that deliver electric vehicle fast charging, energy security, and value-added grid services.
Scotland announces massive plan for heat pump deployment
The Scottish government wants to deploy renewable-powered heat pumps on at least 1 million homes and 50,000 non-domestic buildings by the end of this decade. For this purpose, it has created an advisory group and is now seeking to gather all potential stakeholders.
Indian utility seeks electrolyzer pilot projects
State-run power company NTPC wants to explore the feasibility of using hydrogen instead of diesel for back-up power and micro-grid application.
