Energy storage

A three-year multilateral and multinational research project has been launched, aimed at bringing efficiency, output and utilization gains right across the photovoltaic system. From cell to smart grid, the ERG project will involve research and development businesses, and bodies from eight European countries.

The PV Legal project has found that while positive progress has been made in reducing bureaucratic barriers to photovoltaic implementation, there are still many in place, which continue to hinder development. Grid connection was highlighted as the biggest bottleneck.

Germany’s Federal Environment Minister, Norbert Röttgen, has confirmed his attendance at the first “Energy Storage – Summit for the Storage of Renewable Energies” conference, scheduled to be held in Düsseldorf this March. During the event, he will address the issue of energy storage transformation.

While a new survey on photovoltaic inverters has revealed that price is the over-riding factor in customer purchasing requirements, it was also found that many are willing to pay more for efficiency gains. Meanwhile, monitoring and diagnostics, multiple power point trackers (MPPT), and energy storage were identified as key inverter features.

BYD and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) have developed a battery energy storage station that they claim as the world’s largest possibly.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made over USD$145 million available to 69 solar projects across the country. The goal is to position the U.S. as an industry leader.

A new technology emerging from the United States of America could provide solar energy 24 hours per day even without constant sunlight through improvements to heat storage capabilities.

Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute has developed an off-grid photovoltaic solution to maximize utility of power supply while minimizing the need for storage solutions.

SBI Energy’s recently released report states that the $2.5 billion global high temperature energy storage (HTS) market of 2020 is going to be dominated by the sale and construction of molten salt storage systems for CSP plants. With the increasing need for storage solutions for renewable energy, the report highlights the trends that are taking place in the battery world.

A new report from Pike Research predicts that, over the next decade, photovoltaic and wind energy production will be the main driver for $122 billion in investment energy storage projects.