Energy Storage

The Swiss utility will sell the ancillary services offered to energy network operator Fingrid by the 30 MW/30 MWh lithium-ion Yllikkälä Power Reserve One battery provided by French renewables company Neoen.

Scientists in the U.S. have developed a new cathode chemistry for lithium-sulfur batteries, which they say promises to overcome performance issues stemming from sulfur’s low conductivity and tendency to react with lithium.

The road to cheap hydrogen production is riddled with potholes and energy losses. Researchers in Australia have demonstrated rethinking solar technology and skipping electrolysers could hold great promise for reaching the hydrogen holy grail.

Scientists at Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed an anode from graphene doped with sodium, which they say could potentially overcome some of the fundamental issues in increasing storage capacity and the lifetime of sodium-ion batteries.

The EU appears poised to roll out battery storage capacity to provide flexibility to systems with more variable renewables. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy has also noted policies that must be addressed to establish a level playing field for storage.

With electric vehicles starting to gain traction, the International Energy Agency’s updated, ten-year e-mobility forecast has suggested geopolitical and economic concerns will trump environmental niceties when it comes to encouraging recycling. But what price ever-cheaper batteries?

Talesun has announced plans to deploy 1 GW of new heterojunction solar cell production capacity, while rack manufacturer Akcome Technologies revealed plans to annually produce 2 GW of the same tech. Panda Green, meanwhile, has secured the exclusive rights to a 1 GW project featuring PV and photothermal generation.

The Chinese manufacturer has unveiled a hybrid product with a power range of 6.5-13 kW. The device has a maximum efficiency of 98.4%, according to Ginlong, and battery charging/discharging efficiency of 97.5%.

Chinese developer Panda Green says it has negotiated exclusive rights to develop a $1.41 billion project in Xinjiang which will feature PV and photothermal generation, hydrogen production and energy storage.

PV manufacturers unable to live with proposed new quality guidelines and project developers alike are set to be squeezed out by the state in the world’s biggest solar market, according to Frank Haugwitz, who has compiled a market update as preparations for the next five-year plan gather pace.