Energy Storage

Indonesia has reached a milestone, having inaugurated its first three solar+storage mini-grids, thus enabling three remote villages to enjoy uninterrupted, off-grid access to electricity for the entire day.

Germany’s RCT Power will start manufacturing lithium-ion-phosphate battery storage modules in eastern China this week. The fully automated facility in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has an initial annual production capacity of 18,000 units.

ABB, ElectraNet and ARENA are coming together to deliver a microgrid and large scale battery storage solution to South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula. The commercial-deployment phase of the Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI) project will strengthen the Electranet transmission system in the area, and will deliver increased resilience in the event of interstate connector failure.

India’s PV sector is expanding at a serious pace, creating jobs and further securing energy supply for many businesses. Yet, sourcing battery cell technology at the current rate resulted in annual foreign exchange of $150 million creating deficits, that hopefully can be averted in the future.

Subsidy-free solar PV plants have generated buzz in the UK, with some plants commissioned and others planned to be developed outside of any public remuneration scheme. pv magazine explores whether the UK solar industry is ready to embrace the trend in bulk soon.

Xcel Energy’s 120-day report to Colorado regulators includes an additional 1.1 GW of wind at 1.1-1.8¢/kWh. Solar power bids have come in at 2.2-2.7¢/kWh, and solar+storage at 3.0-3.2¢/kWh.

The Spanish power provider developed the pilot project with the Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya and German spin-off Ineratec. Meanwhile, the European Power to Gas Platform has issued a paper demanding more regulatory certainty for power-to-gas, and to include it as an alternative in the cost-benefit analysis for grid extensions.

The project will produce nearly 32 million kWh per year, covering the annual electricity consumption of more than 13,000 people. The total amount invested in the park was €28.6 million.

The French Environment & Energy Management Agency (ADEME) will allocate €100 million next year to support the nation’s hydrogen industry. The French government believes hydrogen – for storage of renewable power – can become a pillar of its energy transition.

Construction on the facility was started eight months ago. In the future, the large-scale lithium-ion storage facility may participate in weekly auctions for primary reserve capacity.