Distributed Storage

Lithuania-based Soliport has built what it claims to be the largest solar carport in the Baltic states. The 250 kW system is connected to 44 electric vehicle charging points and injects only a small portion of the electricity it generates into the grid.

A new report rom Fraunhofer ISE shows that the cost of PV systems in Germany is currently between €700/kW and €2,000/kW. The study also shows that the levelized cost of energy of solar-plus-storage spans from €0.06/kWh to €0.225/kWh.

The next five years will witness a transformative shift in India’s energy landscape, positioning the country as a global leader in energy storage innovation, says Saurabh Kumar, vice president-India, GEAPP (Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet), in an interview with pv magazine.

Industry body the Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (BSW-Solar) expects around 7 GWh of large-scale battery storage to be added during that period.

The energy company announced plans to invest extensively in large-scale battery business in response to the growing demand for flexibility, adding 500 MW of battery storage annually.

LG Chem has announced that its Platform Technology R&D team has developed a temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer (SRL), a material which is described as capable of surpressing thermal runaway. The material was analyzed in collaboration with researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea, while the safety verification was conducted in partnership with LG Energy Solution.

Once electricity prices hit $0.25/kWh, disconnecting from the grid with residential solar-plus-storage starts to become financially viable, with sunny places making strong financial arguments. With recent drops in battery prices, the case for leaving the grid has grown even stronger.

Western Australian battery technology company Altech Batteries has announced its first Cerenergy ABS60 salt-based battery energy storage system prototype is online and operating successfully across a range of temperatures, confirming its thermal stability and commercial viability.

Chinese manufacturer Hinen has launched an integrated battery energy storage system with power options ranging from 3.6 kW to 25 kW for on- and off-grid residential applications.

Researchers in Denmark built a magnetocaloric heat pump prototype for heating purposes in residential buildings. Although more work is needed to bring the system closer to commercial maturity, it can reportedly achieve a 36.9 % heating power improvement with measurement feedback control.