Energy Storage

Ever since the 1603 Treasury and Section 1705 loan guarantee programs expired last year, succumbing to what many characterized as premature deaths, renewable energy advocates have been inconsolable. And they haven’t suffered silently. They continue to find ways to remind the U.S. Congress that the solar sector is not receiving the support it needs to build jobs and independence from fossil fuels, or to compete on a global scale.

Solar is a small, but strong part of LG’s business states Yun Ju Hwan of LG Electronics, during a visit to the company’s cell and module factory in South Korea. While capacity ramp ups are on hold, the group is planning to launch a solar storage solution and thin film panels in 2013, and manufacture its own polysilicon.

Bosch has officially acquired Conergy’s photovoltaic inverter subsidiary, voltwerk electronics GmbH, following approval from the German anti-trust authorities. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its sophisticated think tank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), is funding a $30 million research competition that will engage America’s brightest scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in improving the capability of energy storage devices, including batteries.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) moved ahead this week with its plans to mete out “more fight for less fuel”. With support from the White House, the Pentagon intends to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by building next-generation combat vehicles, making energy storage safer and more effective, and increasing the deployment of renewable energy across America’s Armed Forces to three gigawatts (GW) by 2025.

Hyundai Heavy Industries will partner with Magna E-Car Systems under a joint venture, MAHY E-CELL, to co-develop a successful battery cell and battery pack business. Hyundai Heavy aims to couple its new battery direction with its renewable energies division.

Northeast Group has released a study, Brazil Smart Grid: Market Forecast 2012-2022, stating that smart grid investments in Brazil are set to reach US$36.6 billion by 2022.

The IEEE Standards Association has announced five new standards and a modified standards development project to aid the efficient rollout of smart grids worldwide.

Baden-Württemberg’s Environment Minister Franz Untersteller visited the ZSW labs for battery technology eLab in Ulm, Germany today. In the spotlight is the advancement of a ‘Made in Germany’ technology base for batteries.

Schneider Electric has collaborated with the Innovation Center for Mobility and Social Change (InnoZ) to complete a micro smart grid at the EUREF-Campus in Germany’s capital city.