Energy Storage

Colombia has launched a 15-year auction scheme to procure solar, storage, and hybrid capacity, with delivery starting in 2030. The mechanism introduces time-of-use products and aims to improve reliability while expanding renewable energy uptake.

Published in the French Official Journal on April 22, a new decree aims to speed up the handling of appeals against strategic environmental projects, particularly in the renewable energy sector. It introduces direct access to administrative courts of appeal and tightens rules on deadlines and procedures for challenging projects.

The program comprises six projects with a cumulative power output of 3 GW, each designed to provide four hours of storage duration.

The system integrates a battery, hybrid inverter, and home energy management system into a single device. It supports the integration of additional appliances, including heat pumps via SG-Ready interfaces. A connection to Tesla’s proprietary wallbox is also planned.

LCP Delta has conducted a study analyzing the potential contribution of long-duration battery storage to security of supply within capacity tenders in Germany, including an economic comparison with gas-fired power plants and the resulting costs to the public. However, the authors explicitly note that they are not advocating for a complete phase-out of new gas-fired power plants.

Zendure is upping its to target the whole-home residential space, expanding on its plug-in balcony storage roots.

Dutch startup BlueHeart Energy is testing its thermoacoustic heat pump engine in residential settings, with a limited European launch expected in spring 2027, followed by gradual scaling. The system uses sound waves instead of refrigerants, aiming for quiet, flexible, low-maintenance heating suited especially for retrofits and renewable integration.

Enercity has begun constructing a 30 MW wastewater-based heat pump in Hanover as part of its shift away from coal-based district heating, replacing capacity from the Stöcken coal plant alongside biomass, power-to-heat, and waste-heat systems.

Peru’s energy ministry has proposed market-based reforms for complementary electricity services to improve grid stability amid rising solar and wind generation.

The Maun solar project will encompass 500 MW of solar tied to 500 MWh of battery storage in northeastern Botswana, making it one of the largest projects of its kind in southern Africa. A 30-year power purchase agreement is in place between project developers Okavango Solar, wholly-owned by Oman’s NAQAA Sustainable Energy LLC, and Botswana Power Corporation.