Lithium-ion battery prices could rise as cost of cobalt shoots up, warn analysts
Price of cobalt, a raw material used in lithium-ion batteries, rose 26% in the first quarter of the year, following 114% annual increase in 2017, finds EnergyTrend. Suppliers may look at ways to lower cobalt content in new iterations, experts say.
Video interview: Will lithium-ion’s battery dominance soon end?
At the recent Energy Storage Europe exhibition in Düsseldorf, Florian Mayr, partner at renewable energy advisory firm Apricum, explained how lithium-ion technologies got a jump on other battery forms in the stationary storage world, but its dominance should not be taken for granted.
Panasonic begins supply of prismatic-type automotive Li-ion batteries, unveils new storage solution in India
Panasonic’s Chinese factory has started the mass production and global supply of prismatic-type automotive lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Its Indian subsidiary, Panasonic India, meanwhile has launched a new energy storage solution, CBPS 8000, for telecom towers at the Elecrama 2018 exhibition, currently taking place in India.
US energy storage begins to take off
Despite a lackluster Q4, GTM Research predicts that the U.S. energy storage market is going to boom in 2018, driven by both policy support and falling prices.
EU Battery Alliance wants 20 EU giga factories, Saft announces partnership with Siemens, Manz and Solvay
The EU Battery Alliance is calling on industry to take advantage of the expected 2025 €250 billion battery market by establishing between 10 and 20 European giga battery factories. Saft, meanwhile, has announced an alliance with Siemens, Manz and Solvay to work on advanced lithium ion and solid-state battery technology.
Kyocera completes large-scale and floating PV projects in Japan
Kyocera TCL Solar LLC has completed work on a 21.1 MW solar PV plant in Japan’s Hagi City. Operations have also begun on five of the company’s floating solar power plants. Meanwhile, in light of decreasing FITs, it provides an update on its shifting solar focus.
Nearly 500 MW of large batteries installed on the US grid in three years (w/ chart)
The latest report from the U.S. Department of Energy finds an acceleration in the deployment of batteries, dominated by lithium-ion technology.
SUSI to provide $94.3 million to back Canadian storage projects
A fund managed by Swiss investment firm SUSI Partners AG has agreed to provide C$120 million (US$94.3 million) of financing to a unit of energy storage developer NRStor for lithium-ion storage projects in Canada.
Dutch researchers unveil li-ion battery capable of 50% more energy
ECN spin-off LeydenJar has developed a lithium-ion pouch cell prototype that increases the storage capacity of rechargeable batteries by 50%. With these advances devices such as electric cars, smartphones, laptops and other battery-based products can enjoy longer durability, they claim.
Interview: India’s storage market readies the ground for growth
The executive director of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) Rahul Walawalkar, talks to pv magazine about India’s vast energy storage potential ahead of next week’s World Energy Storage Day.
