Energy

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is expanding its presence in the Middle East and Europe via a 4 GWh long-term supply agreement with Israeli integrator BLEnergy.

The Happurg pumped storage plant was shut down in 2011 for safety reasons after the base of the upper reservoir was damaged. Uniper has carried out feasibility studies on the site, with a view to reconnecting it to the grid in 2028. The facility can store approximately 850 MWh of electricity in the form of pumped water.

At Intersolar Europe 2024, ESS News spoke with George Hilton, research and analysis manager at S&P Global, about the state of play in the battery energy storage supply chain and falling prices. According to Hilton, the overcapacity at every level of the supply chain has led to prices that are no longer sustainable for many market players. Meanwhile, technological innovation has led to an unprecedented variety of battery storage technologies on offer, and for a great number of markets the right time to jump in is now.

Research at three Canadian locations tried to identify which crops can grow between differently spaced rows of vertical agrivoltaic systems. The scientists concluded that all traditional corps could be grown at the research sites, including arugula, beets, bok choy, celery, coriander, collards, fava beans, kale, lettuce, parsley, parsnips, peas, swiss chard, and thyme.

The Chinese company says its new product has a storage capacity of 2,240 Wh and an expected lifespan of 6,000 cycles.

The Turkish manufacturer said its Varm BCP heat pump has a heating capacity of 3 kW at 20 C outdoor temperature and a coefficient of performance ranging from 3.62 to 4.48.

Dutch developer Lion Storage has secured an irrevocable building permit for its 364 MW/1457 MWh battery energy storage project located in the Vlissingen port, in the southwestern Netherlands.

Transgrid – the owner of the power grid in New South Wales, Australia – aims to roll out up to 14 synchronous condensers and 4.8 GW of batteries with “grid-forming” capability to stabilize the electricity grid as coal-fired power plants retire and more renewables come online.

After finding growth in its home market and Poland, Czech Republic-based Woltair raised venture capital to expand its heat pump and solar PV software platform, used by both installers and homeowners, into Germany and Italy.

A group of researchers has investigated how high temperature heat pumps may be upscaled for industrial applications and has found that larger setups promise higher efficiency. They also found that smaller setups show a better coefficient of performance resulting from design effects.