Energy Storage

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its sophisticated think tank, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), is funding a $30 million research competition that will engage America’s brightest scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in improving the capability of energy storage devices, including batteries.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) moved ahead this week with its plans to mete out “more fight for less fuel”. With support from the White House, the Pentagon intends to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by building next-generation combat vehicles, making energy storage safer and more effective, and increasing the deployment of renewable energy across America’s Armed Forces to three gigawatts (GW) by 2025.

Hyundai Heavy Industries will partner with Magna E-Car Systems under a joint venture, MAHY E-CELL, to co-develop a successful battery cell and battery pack business. Hyundai Heavy aims to couple its new battery direction with its renewable energies division.

Northeast Group has released a study, Brazil Smart Grid: Market Forecast 2012-2022, stating that smart grid investments in Brazil are set to reach US$36.6 billion by 2022.

The IEEE Standards Association has announced five new standards and a modified standards development project to aid the efficient rollout of smart grids worldwide.

Baden-Württemberg’s Environment Minister Franz Untersteller visited the ZSW labs for battery technology eLab in Ulm, Germany today. In the spotlight is the advancement of a ‘Made in Germany’ technology base for batteries.

Schneider Electric has collaborated with the Innovation Center for Mobility and Social Change (InnoZ) to complete a micro smart grid at the EUREF-Campus in Germany’s capital city.

Smart grids are set to grow as Pike Research’s report shows. Meanwhile Echelon Corporation has announced two micro grid deployments in India and South Africa that will integrate distributed generation to compensate disruptions in utility-supplied power.

The consensus at Solarpraxis’ first “Project implementation conference – China 2012” in Shanghai is clear: the potential of photovoltaic project development in China is huge, particularly in light of falling system costs. However, overcoming policy and grid connection issues is key.

India-based telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, has chosen to increase the use of solar, and other renewable energies, to replace its diesel-powered generators. The aim is to reduce its carbon footprint in Africa and cut operational costs.