Energy Storage

Real Energy, an oil and gas developer, continues to pursue its hydrogen ambitions. It recently entered into a key partnership with Port Anthony Renewables to build and develop a large-scale hydrogen production facility in the Australian state of Victoria.

A new, nature-inspired algorithm has been applied by scientists in Egypt and Saudi Arabia to optimize the production of green hydrogen via solar and wind power generation. The proposed energy system consists of PV and wind power generation, a water electrolyzer, a tank of hydrogen gas, a fuel cell, and an inverter that brings the generated electricity to final consumers.

The Port of Rotterdam is set to host a 100 MW electrolyzer from 2025, with a feasibility study expected this summer. The project will produce green hydrogen and will eventually be expanded to 500 MW.

Sweden saw extraordinary high spot prices during last summer, due to difficult power transmission from the north, where most of power generators are located, to the south of the country, where most of the demand is concentrated. According to Swedish PV association Svensk Solenergy, solar-plus-storage offers a quick and scalable solution to avoid expensive and slow grid improvements.

Around 2,400 South Australians will soon be fogging up the bathroom mirror without qualms about the cost of heating water, as Solahart is set to implement a new trial to control hot water systems.

French start-up Verkor is planning to build a 16 GWh manufacturing facility for EV batteries in southern France. French industry consultant Capgemini has joined the project to improve the manufacturing processes.

Work is underway for the deployment of the huge project in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. Land identification and preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for the necessary transmission infrastructure have already begun.

Chinese inverter maker Sungrow has switched on a 6 MW / 21 MWh solar-plus-storage facility on the island. The FIT project’s connected AC capacity is limited to only 845 kW, but the containerized storage solution provided by the company ensures its viability.

The U.S. storage market is booming. But while the solar PV industry has come a long way, with decades of deployment to look back on, battery energy storage is still coming of age. And when things move fast, things can go wrong. At pv magazine’s Virtual Roundtables USA event in late-November 2020, experts raised the challenges that accompany opportunities for battery storage. A move toward greater maturity allows some lessons to be learned from solar – leveling up energy storage will require commitment from the sector with standards, testing, and quality performance.

The expedition to Manaslu Peak (8,163m) in Nepal, led by Alex Txikon, will not consume a single liter of fossil fuels thanks to two portable photovoltaic installations. The initiative is being promoted by Eki, a foundation created by Spanish solar company Solarpack and supported by the Basque Energy Agency (EVE).