Utility Scale Storage

Australian researchers have developed a new dry electrode fabrication strategy for aqueous zinc-iodine batteries. They say it delivers cathodes with more than double the performance of iodine and lithium-ion batteries.

Solar manufacturers signed an estimated 15 GW of module sales and supply deals at SNEC 2025 PV Expo in Shanghai last week. Major contracts included JinkoSolar’s 1.75 GW order for Saudi Arabia’s SPPC project and JA Solar’s 2 GW agreement to support solar manufacturing in India.

The redox flow project has enormous storage capacity, expected to be finished in mid-2028.

While Brazil is making progress in customer-side, “behind-the-meter” and off-grid battery solutions – with more than 700 MWh – it still lacks guidelines for a planned gigawatt-scale national auction. Markus Vlasits, president of the Brazilian Association of Energy Storage Solutions (ABSAE), tells pv magazine about the nation’s utility-scale battery bottleneck.

Ofgem has awarded GBP 500,000 ($677,000) to a consortium led by National Gas and Gravitricity to develop a lined shaft system for storing up to 100 tons of green hydrogen underground. The six-month project aims to assess feasibility ahead of a potential demonstration in 2026.

Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has launched a tender for 2 GW of solar generation capacity paired with 4 GWh of energy storage, requiring bidders to install a minimum of 500 kW/2 MWh storage per megawatt of solar awarded.

Researchers in the Netherlands have identified all major solar power plants in the Dutch Province of Gelderland and have analyzed all of their spatial measures in an effort to assess their impact on landscape. They have specifically focused on land use competition, biodiversity, and landscape experience.

Chinese energy storage speciliast Hithium has completed a landmark UL-supervised fire safety trial, signaling a step-change in system-level fire protection for grid-scale battery storage.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved the Darden Clean Energy Project, the first development to receive fast-track approval under its Opt-In Certification program. The project includes 1.1 GW of solar capacity and a battery energy storage system (BESS), designed to power 850,000 homes for four hours.

In an exclusive interview with pv magazine, Panamanian Energy Secretary Juan Manuel Urriola said the government will open the electricity market to private investment and revise regulations to enable energy storage. Urriola also emphasized the importance of long-term planning and transparent bidding to attract developers.