Energy Storage

Scientists in the United States developed an innovative method to observe the inner workings of lithium-ion batteries and found that cracks which form in the electrode – something manufacturers do their best to minimize – may actually have benefits in allowing for faster charging. The work also challenges assumptions on how certain particles behave inside a battery, with potential consequences for their future design.

With the rapid growth in electric vehicle (EV) demand bringing fears of a mountain of EV battery waste piling up further down the line, the EU-Swiss government-funded Recirculate program is planning how to keep batteries in use for much longer before they head to recyclers.

Romania is resuming the development of the Tarniţa Lăpuşteşti pumped hydro storage project, with a planned capacity of 500 MW to 1 GW. It will be the first installation of its kind in the country.

Pexapark, a Swiss consultancy, has studied energy storage drivers, value streams, contractual agreements, and regional perspectives in Europe. It says that one obstacle to deployment is the inability to properly model revenue, and notes that 15% of companies plan to use AC coupling for projects in the next three years.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research have developed a bifunctional solar battery device that enables simultaneous light charging, charge storing, and electric discharging. The device relies on a bifunctional carbon nitride photoanode to harvest sunlight and store its energy via trapped electrons.

Horizon Power, Western Australia’s regional power supplier, has revealed plans to deploy a 78 kW/220 kWh vanadium flow battery.

The Canadian battery manufacturer offers the product in two versions with a nominal energy of 35 kWh and 70 kWh, respectively. It claims a projected 25-year lifetime for one-cycle per day applications.

The Alpha 150 battery, produced in the Netherlands by Australian electronics manufacturer Redarx, has a lifespan of more than 5,000 cycles and a continuous discharge rating of 200 A.

South Korea’s LG Energy Solution says its new hybrid inverters are suitable for high-voltage and low-voltage configurations.

Brenmiller’s bGen system heat crushes rocks and then stores that thermal energy for minutes, hours, or days. The stored heat energy can be used to produce energy in the form of steam for electricity, water, or hot air for industrial applications.