Energy Storage

The uptake of EVs in the years ahead will add up to staggering battery capacity, mostly sitting idle on driveways. The two-way flow of electricity from EV batteries, known as vehicle to grid, could not only enable power systems to rely on intermittent renewables, but could also be the trump card for network operators to respond to grid disturbances. However, there are still a few catches to be worked out, as Marija Maisch explains.

Canada’s First Hydrogen and German consulting firm FEV are developing a hydrogen fueling station for remote locations where there are no electrical power grids available. Furthermore, Japan and Indonesia have started to cooperate on hydrogen and carbon capture technologies and the UK gas grid is set to start blending hydrogen around the country from next year.

The research institute has upgraded its REopt web tool to include ground-source heat pump technologies. US homeowners will now be able to simulate the impact of converting conventional heating and cooling systems to geothermal heat pumps.

Current price signals to distributed battery owners “do not align with grid value,” says a study from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

A new underwater battery storage technology is coming from Netherlands-based Ocean Grazer to address the issue of offshore long-duration storage. The company’s Ocean Battery is touted as innovative yet simple, based on existing technology, and capable of enhancing marine life along the way.

The 11 planned off-grid networks will offer clean power to around 20,000 people for €0.28/kWh, according to one of the EU bodies which is backing the project.

Woodside Energy has submitted a proposal for a 500MW solar facility to the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority. The company wants to install up to 1 million solar panels to power industrial customers in the state, including its own Pluto LNG export facility.

LG Chem’s energy storage and battery division’s $10.7 billion initial public offering received a staggering response from institutional investors, Reuters has reported.

Elsewhere, French renewable hydrogen startup Lhyfe has announced it is building an electrolyzer in eastern Germany, and Los Angeles-based Southern California Gas has launched a hydrogen-powered drone to monitor its gas grid.

The 40MW solar plant is linked to 3MW/9MWh of storage and is located in the department of Almaraz, in the southern region of Extremadura. It was built by Spanish energy giant Iberdrola.