Energy Storage

The European Commission’s decision to deliver its hotly anticipated Heat Pump Action Plan late next year instead of this month is a “mistake” that will impact the sector and €7 billion ($7.6 billion) worth of investments, the European Heap Pump Association’s (EHPA) secretary general Thomas Nowak says in a statement.

Three-month solar panel permit wait times, rooftop installations and projects under 50 kW not requiring environmental impact assessments, and a raft of other emergency measures aimed at accelerating the European Union’s (EU) renewable energy rollout have been extended until mid-2024 to combat the energy crisis.

A group of researchers in China has developed an energy management system for modular gravity storage. Compared to single block gravity storage, the modular counterpart offers more flexibility in output power, ease of mass production of related equipment and better flexibility in the selection of weights.

Ark Energy’s 275 MW/2,200 MWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, to be built in the Australian state of New South Wales, has been announced as one of the successful projects in the third tender conducted under the state government’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.

KPIT, an India-based automotive software and engineering solutions supplier, has unveiled its proprietary sodium-ion battery technology, and is now on the lookout for manufacturing partners. Ravi Pandit, chairman of KPIT, tells pv magazine, that that the company has developed multiple variants with energy density ranging from 100 Wh/kg to 170 Wh/kg, and potentially reaching 220 Wh/kg.

Saudi Arabia-based energy developer ACWA Power says it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with state-owned utility Eskom for a 442 MW solar facility with 1200 MWh of battery storage in South Africa’s Northern Cape province.

Five energy infrastructure projects representing 750 MW of renewable energy generation and 524 MW/4,192 MWh of long-duration storage have been successful to the New South Wales government’s latest tender round, as it prepares for the exit of coal-fired power generation from the Australian state’s electricity grid.

Brenmiller Energy’s thermal energy storage demonstration system at the State University of New York uses crushed rocks to store energy from renewables or the grid.

Morocco has announced the pre-qualified bidders for the 400 MW Noor Midelt III solar project, with 400 MWh of battery storage.

PreussenElektra has revealed plans to potentially develop Europe’s largest battery storage facility at the decommissioned Brokdorf nuclear power plant site in Germany, with 800 MW/1,600 MWh of capacity. The site operator now needs to secure approval to dismantle the nuclear plant.