Energy Storage

SMA Solar Technology AG has launched what it says is the first AC-coupled inverter system for high-voltage batteries. It is hoping to tap into a storage application market worth up to EUR1.2 billion. The Sunny Boy Storage will be available from March in first Germany, and then other, key markets.

BNEF calculates that 57 GW of solar PV was installed last year, marking an increase of around 30% on 2014. Latest figures also show that, despite factors which could have impeded growth, clean energy financing reached US$329.3 billion in 2015. Chinese and U.S. markets led the charge, alongside a host of new markets; European activity, however, decreased.

Major West Australian solar and storage provider Infinite Energy pushes customers towards ‘energy independence’ as battery storage moves into the market. With solar feed-in not provided to many commercial customers, anticipates steep demand for Tesla PowerPack.

Global energy advisory DNV GL has created a free battery standards and best practice one-stop resource. The online publication will provide companies and organizations working in the storage space to access global standards, regulations and best practices to facilitate the “safe and reliable” rollout of storage technologies.

The number of new stationary battery systems connected to solar arrays on German homes and businesses in 2015 far outnumber the number of electric vehicles that rolled onto roads. A new study has revealed the result demonstrating that despite the German government’s official target of one million new electric cars by 2020, solar+storage is gaining significant traction in the market.

2016 begins with an egalitarian slant as solar markets of all shapes, sizes and regions garner attention, much of it extremely positive.

Renewable Energy Systems (RES) has announced it will be working on a 640 kWh energy storage system in Somerset, the U.K. The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has applauded the news, stating the country is set to see considerable storage growth in 2016. Government policies are currently a barrier, however.

With an international agreement in Paris on emissions reductions inspiring ambitious renewable energy goals, an extension of the U.S. Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and record low prices for installed PV, 2015 was a positive year for the global solar industry.

Funding for battery storage for small solar PV systems in Germany ceased at the end of 2015. The Federal Government is said to still be working on the new program, which should start “as early as possible in 2016,” and end in 2018. When and how exactly the support will work is still anyone’s guess, however.

The company expects significant balance of systems cost reductions for energy storage systems, and for this to help drive increased deployment.