The compelling case for big batteries – 08-2021
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Excerpt from the magazine
Final thought: What’s in store?
Perhaps the most dramatic and urgent challenge we face today is how we generate and consume energy. The energy transition is well underway and as installed capacity of solar and wind increases, so too does the demand for storage to provide a flexible and reliable energy network.
Aug 09, 2021
Digesting the EC’s border tax proposal
The European Union’s proposed carbon border tax on imports of energy-intensive goods could push up prices of steel, aluminum and raw materials, which could add costs to the supply chain for solar PV installations. In the longer run, however, the border tax could also offer solar PV manufacturers new opportunities to source materials with a lower carbon footprint.
Aug 09, 2021
Supporting the corporate renewable electricity market
Corporate clean electricity purchases are finally taking off in many European markets, thanks to a number of renewable energy law reforms. Spain and Italy in particular are seeing growing numbers of transactions. However, is enough being done to support the corporate market? Hannah Hunt, impact director at RE-Source – a European alliance of stakeholders representing clean energy buyers and suppliers – looks at the forces driving change and asks which policy and regulatory reforms are critical to unlocking European corporate sourcing potential.
Aug 09, 2021
Achieving game changing growth
Corporate purchases of green electricity are at an all-time high. Pressure from companies, new entrants, and favorable legislative changes have combined to push the market further. Consequently, the business model landscape is evolving. As part of the UP Initiative quarterly theme on sustainable electricity supply, pv magazine has compiled a brief overview of the main models available (see table) and provided a more in-depth look into two of the most prominent: energy certificates and power purchase agreements.
Aug 09, 2021
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The global expansion of clean energy access
Once a U.S.-centric phenomenon, corporations are now able to purchase clean energy at cost-competitive rates and at a large scale in most markets around the world. Power markets are being amended to allow for power purchase agreements, while alternative mechanisms like certificates and retail programs are near-universal. As part of pv magazine’s UP Initiative quarterly theme on sustainable electricity supply, Kyle Harrison, head of sustainability research at BloombergNEF, discusses the growth in corporate clean energy procurement globally.
Aug 09, 2021
Battery recycling and material uncertainty
Lithium-ion batteries remain the front-runner to power EVs, but without clearer recycling plans from the European Union and the United States, the balance isn’t yet tipped away from heavy mining of new materials to focus on supplying industry needs, writes Ian Morse.
Aug 09, 2021
Material concerns
Shouldn’t we all be driving in affordable electric cars with 800-plus kilometers of driving range by now? Surely yes, according to many of the announcements coming from battery scientists over the past decade. Yet for all the scientific breakthroughs, few in fact “break through” into commercial applications. Christian Kuss of the University of Manitoba makes the case for a holistic approach to battery materials development, and reminds us to look beyond the stars of the show and consider their interactions with the auxiliary materials that hold the whole thing together.
Aug 09, 2021
pv magazine test: June 2021 results
We are pleased to present the next batch of energy yield results from the outdoor test field in Xi’an, China. In this edition, we look at the results for June 2021, alongside additional analysis from George Touloupas, director of technology and quality at CEA.
Aug 09, 2021
‘The team wins…’
For asset owners with a fleet of projects ready for revamping, there are multiple factors to consider when picking the right inverter. pv magazine caught up with Goodwe’s Michael Heidenreich to discuss these and other developments on the inverter market. Heidenreich has spent nearly two decades working with power electronics, well over half of which was in the solar industry. At Goodwe he is now the senior sales manager for projects.
Aug 09, 2021
China’s battery storage awakening
China’s efforts to shift electricity generation from a coal-dominated system to a greener mix of renewables is not only centered on wind, solar and other technologies – the country is also rapidly pursuing energy storage. Vincent Shaw reports from Shanghai.
Aug 09, 2021
Products to pack in more power
While the central vs. string debate dominates much of the discussion in the inverter market, Italian manufacturer Fimer supplies both, and argues that both are suitable depending on the circumstances. The company’s new central platform can also efficiently cope with increasing DC/AC ratios, says Maren Schmidt, managing director of its utility business line.
Aug 09, 2021
Scaling up SPS
As technology redefines the delivery of network services, grid operators in remote areas the world over are searching for more cost-effective and reliable alternatives to traditional poles and wires. Standalone power systems are the solar application that is at the forefront of the switch, and they’re ramping up fast.
Aug 09, 2021
Electromobility meets battery storage
Now in its 10th year, pv magazine Deutschland has once again conducted its market overview of residential battery storage products. As the leading global distributed storage market, technology and application trends from Germany, including the shift to EV-charging integration, are enlightening for market participants throughout the world. Interestingly, price declines remain slow.
Aug 09, 2021
Hot thermal hopes
Thermal energy storage is dense, efficient, and suitable for greenfield and brownfield projects, with a potentially long lifespan. It can also be built with recyclable or low-impact storage materials. So why is it taking so long to achieve widespread commercial success? Tristan Rayner explores the latest developments.
Aug 09, 2021
A lifetime plan for your solar+storage asset
For developers and investors who are ready to start talking about solar+storage projects, there are some interesting and not so straightforward decisions to be made on the sizing of assets. Siobhán Green, lead on battery storage in continental Europe for Everoze, looks at the different approaches to sizing and how to choose between them. In particular, she assesses the ‘lifetime’ factors to dimensioning and discusses how to plan for degradation and potential through-life resets to the revenue stack.
Aug 09, 2021
Dirty double standard on display
Australia’s proposed 26 GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub has encountered what appears to be a governmental double standard, as the country’s environment minister has rejected an expanded proposal. Thankfully, the project’s proponents have not become discouraged in the face of this double standard; in fact, they’re doubling down.
Aug 09, 2021
Stored potential
As solar and wind make up larger portions of the energy mix, energy storage is becoming an increasingly important piece of the puzzle in keeping electricity networks running smoothly. And as battery costs fall, new business models are emerging to increase the value of battery energy storage projects for both grid operators and project owners. Focusing on two leading countries – the United Kingdom and Australia – pv magazine looks at what’s in store for large-scale energy storage.
Aug 09, 2021
Post-SNEC storage
China’s battery manufacturing industry is growing robustly in line with the rapid expansion of the electric vehicle market. The stationary storage sector currently lags behind developments in leading markets such as the United States and Europe, but strong growth is expected between now and 2030, driven by supportive policies. Fang-Wei Yuan, a senior analyst at InfoLink, examines the latest developments in China’s energy storage industry and looks at the announcements and product launches made at the Shanghai SNEC exhibition back in June.
Aug 09, 2021
V2G outlook
Multiple drivers are combining to allow battery capacity in electric vehicles to be used as a grid asset through vehicle-to-grid technology, writes George Hilton, senior analyst for energy storage at IHS Markit. Vehicle-to-grid tech could offer low-cost energy storage at a huge scale, but there are many barriers to overcome.
Aug 09, 2021
Sky’s the limit
The sky is the limit. Fortunately, this expression does not apply to current prices for PV panels, which have recently declined, following a continuous rise since the beginning of the year. Whether this situation holds, or whether prices drop further in the coming months is hard to say at the moment, writes Martin Schachinger of pvXchange. Polysilicon prices and thus wafer and cell prices could be in for a slight decline. However, a decisive movement in module prices in general is unlikely before the fourth quarter.
Aug 09, 2021
More in store
The battery energy storage system (BESS) market is expected to double year on year in 2021, exceeding a volume of 10 GW, according to IHS Markit (pp. 12-13). For many this would appear an outstanding performance and a sign that battery deployment is at an inflection point – with nothing but good times in store.
Aug 09, 2021
