Energy Storage

In grids increasingly dominated by renewables, grid-forming technology is emerging as critical tool for maintaining stability and ensuring reliable power system operation. In this interview with ESS News, Rui Sun, Sungrow’s Deputy General Manager-Grid Technology Center, explains how grid-forming works, why it matters, and where the technology is already proving its value. He elaborates on technical challenges, regulatory gaps, and why grid-forming could soon become the new industry standard.

On June 26, the construction of the world’s largest power generation-side energy storage project in Ulan Chab, Inner Mongolia, officially began. This 1 GW/6 GWh project, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, aims to enhance grid stability and support China’s renewable energy transition.

Researchers in Hungary have developed a model to calculate the optimal PV and battery storage balance to support the European grid in the next few years. They found that the cost-optimal range is at 530–880 GW of PV, combined with battery storage equivalent to 2.5–7.5% of the total intermittent capacity.

Around one-quarter of all new rooftop PV systems installed in Spain in 2024 included battery storage, underscoring continual growth in distributed energy, despite a decline in total installed storage capacity.

A giant solar-plus-vanadium flow battery project in Xinjiang has completed construction, marking a milestone in China’s pursuit of long-duration, utility-scale energy storage.

DJI previously offered a Power 1000 battery, released in 2024, but the company’s new Power 2000 model is uniquely compatible with its ecosystem, plus expansion batteries.

French engineer André Buhart has published the plans and open-source software to create a DIY “solar energy router” to manage PV overproduction. Depending on the configuration, the device can direct excess photovoltaic energy to water heaters, pool motors, or underfloor heating, among others.

Scientists in Iran have developed a novel framework to optimize the capacity of PV and battery storage in smart homes, using a two-stage stochastic programming model. They considered the uncertainties in the grid, market price, and PV output, while also looking at different operation cases.

Envision recently completed a large-scale, CSA C800 witnessed burn test of its 5 MWh energy storage system, demonstrating robust thermal containment and adding to industry-wide safety efforts.

The European Commission has launched the Hydrogen Mechanism to support matching supply and demand under its Energy and Raw Materials Platform, while the US Senate has advanced a budget bill to extend the deadline for 45V hydrogen production tax credits to the end of 2027.