Storage

Last year, German network operators received 9,710 connection requests for battery storage systems planned for commissioning at the medium-voltage level. These requests correspond to a total of 400 GW/661 GWh. At the transmission network level, large-scale battery storage projects with a combined capacity of 51 GW have already been approved for development in the coming years.

California-based Apparent Inc. has unveiled a new water heater that can reportedly offset 100% of a home’s water heating cost. The system uses low-voltage DC electricity generated by conventional solar panels and a cloud based, machine learning platform that manages energy in real-time.

The Chinese manufacturer said the product line includes five models with outputs ranging from 25 kW to 50 kW, supporting charge and discharge currents of up to 150 A.

While solar modules and batteries have become icons of rapid progress, most energy models are still stuck in the past. A new global analysis shows that the cost of renewable energy has fallen far faster than expected. Solar PV, wind power, and battery technologies have already reached price levels that models once placed many decades ahead – a misplaced pessimism that risks misdirecting billions in climate investment and could distort long-term defossilization strategies.

The German company said its new device features a DC input supporting up to 3 kW of photovoltaic power. The heating output can be continuously adjusted between 0 W and 1,000 W. Priced at €549 ($635) including VAT, the heating element is designed for hot water storage tanks with capacities of up to 500 L.

Open Climate Fix says its Quartz Solar tool saves Great Britain’s grid operator GBP 30 million ($39 million) per year through more accurate forecasting, which reduces the reserve capacity needed for balancing the electricity system. The non-profit company has used machine learning techniques with satellite, weather and historical generation data to reduce forecasting errors by half.

From ESS News China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and South Korea’s LG Chem have signed a joint development agreement to advance key materials for sodium-ion batteries, as the technology moves closer to mass commercialization. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on developing cathode and anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, targeting applications in […]

The Chinese firm says its new EnerCube product is designed for commercial and industrial applications. It has a capacity of 2,250 kWh.

The Italian manufacturer said its new WWMG heat pump system has a coefficient of performance of up to 4.98 and an energy efficiency rating of 16.30 BTU/Wh.

The company has produced its first sodium-ion battery prototype and, in collaboration with Spanish research institute CIC energiGUNE, developed sodium-ion cell prototypes that have shown “very promising results.”