Grids & Integration

Singapore-based infrastructure developer Equis has announced plans to construct a 1,200 MW/2.4 GWh battery in Australia. It claims it will be the largest battery energy storage system to be developed in Australia and Asia.

Argentina and Chile are reactivating the Andes Interconnection Line to facilitate the bidirectional exchange of energy. During the day, Argentina will receive 80 MW of solar from Chile, but it will export back 200 MW of natural gas at night.

New Zealand’s solarZero says it aims to provide fast, sustained reserves with its virtual power plant (VPP) of 10,000 household battery systems. Meridian Energy, meanwhile, has secured approval for a 100 MW battery energy storage system – the country’s largest such system to date.

Finland’s Wärtsilä has unveiled its next-generation grid balancing technology. It has an efficiency of 52.3% and can be used for baseload production. It connects to the grid in 30 seconds and operates on natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen blends.

The New York City authorities have determined that a lithium battery in an unspecified micromobility device triggered a recent high-rise fire that injured dozens in Manhattan. Saudi Arabia has launched its first EV brand, while Indian researchers have developed a new anode material that can help to recharge lithium-ion EV batteries in minutes.

Decentralized solar devices such as PV-powered portable irrigation pumps are technically viable solutions to meet the energy needs of food value chains across the high-altitude Hindu Kush Himalaya region, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Scientists have completed a one-year trial of a model that calculates solar irradiation forecasts up to 24 hours in advance. Singapore’s Energy Market Authority now plans to adopt solar irradiance forecasting, as the model has an average error rate below 10% for one-hour forecasts.

Carrier will soon begin field tests for a prototype air-source heat pump for cold climates. It is designed to provide high-efficiency heating performance in harsh climates with temperatures equal or below negative 29 degrees Celsius, while being grid-interactive. The US-based heating tech specialist expects to commercialize the solution by 2024.

Aspen Creek Digital, a US bitcoin miner, has started operations at a 30 MW bitcoin data center powered by an 87 MW solar park in Texas. The project is the company’s second solar-powered bitcoin-mining center.

PG&E has secured approval to set up a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) export compensation mechanism for commercial EV charging customers in California. Sono Motors is debuting its Sion solar electric vehicles in the US market, while Toyota and Jera are installing innovative second-life battery systems in Japan.