Utility Scale Storage

A Scandinavian research team has investigated the best set-up for energy islands, to determine whether they are better achieved with submarine cables or hydrogen infrastructure.

Teralight has started building what will be Israel’s largest solar park. The Ta’anach PV project will have an installed capacity of 250 MW and include 550 MWh of storage. It is located in the Jezreel Valley, northern Israel, and will start operations in the first half of 2024.

Green hydrogen projects can be profitable in “wide swaths” of the United States, supported by new federal tax credits for clean hydrogen, according to a financial modeling analysis by the policy consultancy Energy Innovation.

According to Aurora Energy Research, Europe is on track to install at least 95 GW of grid-scale battery energy storage systems by 2050, up from 5 GW of installed capacity today, and representing more than €70 billion ($76.9 billion) of investment.

Non-synchronous renewable energy affects grid stability but storage-as-transmission (SAT) assets offer grid companies a trump card. Whether it’s “virtual transmission” in Australia, Germany’s “Grid Booster” program, or the giga-scale pipeline of projects emerging in the United Kingdom, energy storage is finding a way.

Salzgitter Flachstahl says it will produce hydrogen with green electricity from a wind power plant under construction by Iberdrola in the Baltic Sea. German Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, meanwhile, has announced funding for the Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking transformation program.

Engie will deploy three giant batteries across three different parts of Belgium. All of the facilities will be able to provide power for up to four hours.

NTPC Renewable Energy is accepting bids to develop 1.5 GW/9 GWh of cumulative energy storage capacity on a build-own-operate basis anywhere in India. It will use the storage capacity to ensure round-the-clock renewable and/or peak power supplies. Bidding closes on June 16.

Ignitis Group says it will increase the capacity of the 900 MW Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant by another 110 MW. It notes that the expansion project will be finalized by the end of 2026.

CNPC and Sinopec are working on transporting hydrogen via pipelines, while Matrix Renewables has expanded its green hydrogen partnership with Rolwind Renovables.