Utility Scale Storage

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.

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.

Rolls-Royce has started developing a hydrogen combustion engine for combined heat and power (CHP) systems in Germany, while Lhyfe has installed a 1 MW electrolyzer for Deutsche Bahn.

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.

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.

Javier Izcue, vice president SG Europe at Sungrow, tells pv magazine that Italy will install 30 GW of batteries by 2030, but notes that the boom is not looming in the near term, as previously predicted.

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.