Utility Scale Storage

German-headquartered project developer juwi Renewable Energy has inked an agreement with the University of Queensland to deliver a solar+storage hybrid power solution at its research station located in the Great Barrier Reef.

The Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC) has published a list of the 75 Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for three 100 MW solar PV plus storage projects. A detailed call for project proposals will be circulated to the 75 consortiums by December 2018.

The two companies joined to build one of Europes largest storage systems. The project will provide grid management services, such as primary control reserve. SMA says it is just one of four others large grid management storage systems it will commission in Germany over the next few months.

The World Bank is helping Gambian utility NAWES find a consultant for the nation’s first large-scale scheme, to be developed under the national Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project. The solar plant may have a capacity of up to 20 MW, and could be linked with a storage system.

The Centrale électrique de l’Ouest guyanais was started by French hydrogen specialist HDF Energy in May. The $90 million plant, expected to generate 50 GWh per year, is being built near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in northwestern French Guiana, and will meet the energy needs of the nearby municipality of Mana.

Although initially expected to deliver around 650 MW, Victoria’s first renewable energy auction has smashed the goal, delivering 928 MW of renewable capacity. Six projects will be developed in total, three wind and three solar, under the state’s renewable energy target. In a separate announcement, the Andrews government promised to provide half price solar batteries for 10,000 Victorian households, if re-elected.

The South Australian government will launch its Home Battery Scheme in October, which will offer South Australians subsidies of up to AU$6,000. In the wake of the government’s announcement, the German storage provider has revealed plans to manufacture up to 50,000 battery storage units at the former Holden site in Elizabeth, creating hundreds of jobs.

The U.S. state’s recent passage of SB 100 and SB 700 is expected to spur a boom in solar and behind-the-meter battery deployment. pv magazine has done the math on what we can expect.

Wood Mackenzie projects that the U.S. energy storage market will reach well over US$500 million in sales this year, following on 61.8 MW / 156.5 MWh of installations during the second quarter. Residential storage has grown at 61% per quarter since Q1 2017.

A utility survey shows battery storage capacity growing sharply, including solar + storage installations in several U.S. states. Looking ahead, FERC Order 841 could spark extensive new storage for grid services, helping more utilities become familiar with storage and its benefits.