Storage

At Intersolar Europe 2024, ESS News spoke with spoke with Paul McCusker, President EMEA Region at Fluence, about the company’s regionalization strategy and its ambition to bring a locally made products to its customers in Europe. McCusker also spoke about EMEA-region specific technology preferences and requirements, particularly regarding noise levels and safety. Additionally, he presented his views on battery price movements and key challenges to market growth.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy is readying to launch a tender on September 2 and provide Capex support for the construction and commissioning of 3 GWh of standalone energy storage facilities. The public call is for projects equal to or greater than 10 MW with at least two hours of storage capacity, which will be primarily used in the frequency regulation markets.

The Generali Group company has signed an agreement to acquire a minority share of Enel Libra Flexsys, which aims to roll out 1.7 GW of battery energy storage projects in Italy. “Revenues are fully contracted for 15 years through capacity agreements with Enel as well as capacity payments from Enel that are backed by Terna, Italy’s transmission system operator,” Sosteneo says.

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.

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

UK-based solar and energy storage developer Elements Green has secured planning consent for its Staythorpe Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in the UK. The system will be colocated with a massive 800 MW solar farm.

At least 22 people, most of them foreign nationals, were killed in a massive fire at a South Korean factory that manufactures non-rechargeable lithium batteries in Hwaseong city, just south of Seoul. The cause of the blaze is still being investigated.

Israel’s Ministry of Energy says it will exempt hybrid solar inverters from purchase tax and customs duties. It claims that these policy mechanisms will help during energy emergencies.