Lithium-ion battery prices could rise as cost of cobalt shoots up, warn analysts
Price of cobalt, a raw material used in lithium-ion batteries, rose 26% in the first quarter of the year, following 114% annual increase in 2017, finds EnergyTrend. Suppliers may look at ways to lower cobalt content in new iterations, experts say.
Solar and wind plus storage to increasingly replace gas plants
A session at BNEF’s Future of Energy Summit explored how renewables paired with energy storage are successfully competing with new gas plants.
Renewables set to lower UK’s summer demand for grid electricity, says National Grid
Rise in small scale solar contributing towards new trend of falling summertime peak transmission system demand on U.K. grid, says outlook report. Inflexibile gas and nuclear plants may be curtailed to make way for solar and wind.
1.4 GW of storage added in 2017 as Australia resi and U.S. large-scale leads way, finds GTM Research report
Inaugural global energy storage report by GTM Research finds that Australia’s behind-the-meter storage market tripled in 2017, while the U.S. remains the world’s leading market with an installed energy capacity of 431 MWh. China poised to rise to second place globally in 2019.
Tonga launches tender for 6 MW of solar-plus-storage
Local power utility, TPL is seeking independent power producers for the deployment of 6 MW of solar PV capacity combined with storage. The selected project will be granted a 25-year PPA.
Video interview: Smart use cases for C&I, EV and residential energy storage
Götz Fischbeck, Business developer Central Europe Delta EE, discussed with pv magazine at the recent Energy Storage Europe exhibition ways in which storage applications can become smarter in order to better serve the grid and boost the growth of electric vehicles.
Guinea Bissau plans its first big solar-plus-storage project
A solar power plant with a capacity of between 20 and 30 MW is currently being planned with the support of the World Bank, which is now seeking consultants to carry out a feasibility study for the project.
Video interview: Energy Storage Highlights winner Younicos talks storage-as-a-service
Aggreko-owned storage system experts Younicos claimed first place in the pv magazine Energy Storage Highlights award. Alexander Schönfeldt, the company’s VP sales EMEA, describes this award-winning concept and reveals more details about Younicos’ new rental storage system.
TÜV Rheinland exposes inverter, battery hacking vulnerabilities
Testing from TÜV Rheinland has revealed that PV inverters and battery storage systems are vulnerable to hacking. By changing system parameters, a hacker could potentially cause a battery system to corrode, “making it like a ‘bomb’.”
Fossil fuel global grip being loosened by holy trinity of affordable PV, wind and storage, finds BNEF
‘Unprecedented challenge’ for fossil fuels as low LCOE for solar and wind power, allied to tumbling storage costs, sees renewables claim larger share of bulk and dispatchable generation while adding vital flexibility to global energy mix.
