National Grid UK to receive ancillary services from 27MWh of storage capacity
ESB and Oersted UK independently announced this week they have acquired storage assets to deliver ancillary services to the UK grid operator.
Falling battery costs to push solar, wind to 50% electricity generation by 2050, but electricity still failing CO₂ reduction targets – BNEF
Solar PV capacity is set to grow 17-fold, and wind six-fold, by 2050, to account for nearly half of global electricity generation, predicts BNEF, while investments will reach US$11.5 trillion. Cost reductions will drive this charge, particularly in the battery market, which will benefit from the EV manufacturing ramp up. Despite this, the electricity sector is still failing to bring CO₂ emissions down to the required levels, with its continued dependence on gas.
India to launch its own battery cell production
India’s PV sector is expanding at a serious pace, creating jobs and further securing energy supply for many businesses. Yet, sourcing battery cell technology at the current rate resulted in annual foreign exchange of $150 million creating deficits, that hopefully can be averted in the future.
Gas Natural Fenosa launches power-to-gas project as advocates of the technology call for policy clarity
The Spanish power provider developed the pilot project with the Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya and German spin-off Ineratec. Meanwhile, the European Power to Gas Platform has issued a paper demanding more regulatory certainty for power-to-gas, and to include it as an alternative in the cost-benefit analysis for grid extensions.
Engie commissions 24 MW PV park in south west France
The project will produce nearly 32 million kWh per year, covering the annual electricity consumption of more than 13,000 people. The total amount invested in the park was €28.6 million.
France looks to hydrogen to become 100% renewables
The French Environment & Energy Management Agency (ADEME) will allocate €100 million next year to support the nation’s hydrogen industry. The French government believes hydrogen – for storage of renewable power – can become a pillar of its energy transition.
Toshiba to start power-to-gas supply chain demonstration in Japan
Toshiba has begun a large power-to-gas demonstration project in Japan. In spite of low efficiency and high prices, hydrogen is researched by many companies. In this demo, facilities are powered by Toshiba’s fuel cells, which receive hydrogen from an adjacent hydropower hydrogen generation facility.
US Senate proposes business-as-usual energy budget
The upper chamber of Congress has called for stable funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in 2019, with an emphasis on electric vehicles as well as increasing the budget for ARPA-E by 6.5%
Super fast EV charging solution secures BP Venture investment
British oil giant BP has announced a $20 million investment into battery developer Storedot, whose batteries use chemically synthesized organic molecules to build an organic polymer, in addition to lithium. Storedot says the astonishing properties of the new material enable electric vehicle charging times of just five minutes
Turkey’s rooftop PV seeks a market
The most subscribed event at the recent International Energy and Environment Conference (ICCI), held in Turkey, concerned the host nation’s rooftop PV market – and certain common themes emerged from sessions held on the topic
