Energy Storage

Big batteries derive most their value from replacing gas peaker plants and averting the installation of excessive amounts of transmission and generation infrastructure. However, batteries cannot replace all gas plants, MIT researchers found. From a holistic economics perspective, there is a certain share of storage that is considered cost-efficient. With battery costs declining, that share is constantly increasing.

The 1 MW/4 MWh storage system will be used for a peak shaving application to store power during off peak hours or when the station reaches minimum load and use the stored energy during peak load as well as for improving network voltage

A permit to expand Vistra’s natural gas-fired Moss Landing generation station to 1,500 MW/6,000 MWh has been approved, setting the stage for the world to see gigawatt-scale battery energy storage for the first time ever.

Dutch researchers have analyzed the two most promising solar-assisted technologies to produce green hydrogen, based on the levelized cost of hydrogen. They found that PV-powered hydrogen production offers the lowest costs, at $6.22/kg, with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency ratio of 10.9%.

Utility Jemena has agreed to produce hydrogen gas for Hyundai’s Macquarie Park headquarters in greater Sydney from early 2021.

The facility’s size and operational pattern could be optimized using a mixed-integer linear programming-based model. By selling hydrogen, supplying grid ancillary services and selling by-product oxygen, power-to-gas economics could be dramatically improved.

A study by DB Energie shows that technically and legally there is nothing to be said against the transport of hydrogen by rail. However, there is still a lack of suitable transport containers.

Policy support for battery energy storage is gaining momentum across Europe as national governments remove regulatory barriers and the EU pledges financial support for this emerging technology. In several countries, revised capacity markets now allow energy storage operators to compete for subsidy contracts on a more equal footing with power generators. Support from the European Battery Alliance and €1 billion in loans from the European Investment Bank in 2020 alone should help shore up investor confidence. Battery storage will be a key component to support the growth of solar PV – but the rollout of projects will have to accelerate faster to fulfill this potential.

The high-profile electric car maker is conducting a survey of German customers to gauge their interest in a Tesla electricity tariff.

Minister of the environment and climate action, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, announced the development and revealed nine of the ten lots tendered include energy storage.