Germany slashes VAT for residential PV to 0%
The German parliament has approved a new package of tax breaks for rooftop PV, including a value-added tax exemption for PV systems up to 30 kW in size.
Novel sodium-sulfur battery for renewables storage
A Chinese-Australian research group has created a new sodium-sulfur battery that purportedly provides four times the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries. They say it is far cheaper to produce and offers the potential to dramatically reduce energy storage costs.
Canadian company unveils portable off-grid solar, battery kit
SEI Logistics has developed a portable, folding solar panel kit with batteries. The system is designed to work in harsh, remote environments.
Germany likely installed 220,000 new residential solar batteries in 2022, says EUPD Research
EUPD Research said that Germany’s residential storage market more than doubled year on year in 2022. It noted that BYD has surpassed Sonnen to become the leading battery supplier.
US research institute proposes compensation for storage
Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) researchers have developed a new framework to compensate energy storage as a dual-use asset.
Online tool provides answers to complexities of home solar, storage in Australia
The Australian PV Institute (APVI) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have launched a free version of SunSPOT, a tool for tailored guidance on ideal solar and battery setups.
Scientists identify molecules for potential use in redox flow batteries
Scientists at the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) have set up a database of 31,618 molecules that could potentially be used in future redox flow batteries. They used artificial intelligence and supercomputers to identify the properties of the molecules.
US solar project generates power for community-owned electricity suppliers
Leeward Renewable Energy has switched on the 100 MW Rabbitbrush solar array in California. It includes a 20 MW/50 MWh battery energy storage system and will sell electricity to two community-owned electricity suppliers under a 15-year power purchase agreement.
Spain provides financial support for 600 MW of utility-scale storage
The Spanish government say it will finance five hybrid battery energy storage projects, with a cumulative installed capacity of at least 600 MW. Each project can secure up to €15 million ($15.68 million) in funding.
Brazil’s first large-scale battery goes online
Grid operator ISA CTEEP has started commercially operating a large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Registro substation in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. The 30 MW/60 MWh BESS is expected to provide backup power to the grid during hours of peak demand in summer.
