Utility Scale Storage

Operated by Gasunie, the underground storage facility is located near Veendam in the province of Groningen and should be fully operational in 2026. Tests will be run until spring 2022.

Electricity transmission system operators from 35 European countries have opened the call for new storage and long-distance network projects that wish to be included in their next, Europe-wide ten-year grid development plan.

A report published today states the British grid needs to become more flexible at a faster pace to stay on track for a net-zero 2050 and called for time-of-use electricity tariffs and for the government to stop dragging its heels on issues such as EV charging.

From pv magazine Australia Queensland’s University of Technology (QUT) is working on verifying Titan Hydrogen’s claims its patent-pending technology will “effectively double” vehicles’ driving ranges by enabling a fuel cell to produce more electricity from the same amount of hydrogen. The Australian-based company claims its technology could increase the capacity of fuel cells by up […]

A new report from the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) has shown that heat pump technologies are currently unable to compete for heating with gas due to high taxes and levies on electricity. According to its experts, a carbon tax, or removing this tax imbalance, may create a level playing field for renewable technologies in the heating sector.

U.S. start-up EnerVenue has secured funding to build a gigafactory to produce nickel-hydrogen batteries for large scale renewable and storage applications. The battery has an efficiency ranging from 80 to 90%, depending on the cycle rate, and its energy density per square foot is equal to, or better than lithium-ion batteries, according to the company.

Green hydrogen cost may reach between €0.7 and €1.8/kg by 2030 and €0.3 and €0.9/kg by 2050, according to a European research team led by the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics. The scientists found that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) could drop from around €0.031-0.081/kWh currently to €0.02-0.05 by 2030 and €0.01-0.027 by 2050.

Until this year, Lord Howe Island was totally reliant on diesel generation for its electricity. A solar-powered hybrid microgrid, integrated into the island’s supply since April, has now been declared a resounding success.

China Green Development Group is building a giant project consisting of 3 GW of photovoltaics and 300 MW of concentrating solar power. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2025 and is part of China’s 14th five-year plan.

Antonio Delgado Rigal, chief executive of energy forecasting service AleaSoft, tells pv magazine that skyrocketing gas and electricity prices are putting the global economy under strong pressure, while also opening up huge opportunities for solar, renewables and green hydrogen. He says current gas and electricity prices, along with rising CO2 prices, already make green hydrogen competitive. He therefore calls for immediate action on building new capacity, but acknowledges that a quick end is not yet in sight for rising prices.