Energy Storage

Nostromo Energy has developed a modular cold energy storage system that operates as a virtual power plant. The company will receive a loan, supported by the US Department of Energy (DoE), for the installation of a 120-building energy storage portfolio in California and other US states.

With AI-enabled devices able to take the money-saving efficiency of lithium batteries to an incredibly granular level, research by Inion Software shows simple changes by inverter manufacturers would enable devices of almost any age to be “smartened up.”

Sineng Electric has switched on a 400 MW/800 MWh storage facility in China’s Shandong province. The project features the company’s 3.15 MW turnkey battery stations.

France’s Neoen has begun construction on its 200 MW/400 MWh Western Downs Battery in the Australian state of Queensland. It is Neoen’s fourth big battery in Australia and brings its storage portfolio to 776 MW/1,279 MWh in operation or under construction. 

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has sharpened its focus on long-duration storage in Australia with the acquisition of the proposed Bowen Renewable Energy Hub project, which is expected to combine 1.4 GW of pumped hydro storage with huge solar and wind generation.

This year has witnessed upheaval in the global energy system as inflation, geopolitical conflict, and the reality of a changing climate continue to drive the transition to cleaner energy. Next year, these trends are likely to continue and accelerate as renewable energy adoption continues to grow and the inextricable link between energy security and national security is increasingly recognized. Alan Greenshields, of US-based iron-salt flow battery maker ESS Inc, offers four predictions for 2023.

Swedish startup POL has unveiled POL Lux, a catamaran boat design with dual electric motors and a solar canopy that can covert into a private sleeping area.

The Australian government has announced a $117.5 million (AUD $176 million) funding injection which it expects will unleash over $2 billion of investment in advanced battery technology, delivering a step change in grid-forming capability.

Wood Mackenzie says 96% of US grid-scale storage deployments in the third quarter occurred in Texas and California.

PV module prices have finally stabilized and a slight downward trend has even started to set in. Whether this will continue depends mainly on how demand shapes up over the next few months. The softening of prices reflects a gradual build-up of inventories which need to be drawn down again this year, if possible – even if it means slashing prices. But for other PV-system components, the situation is quite different, writes Martin Schachinger of solar wholesaler pvXchange.