Energy Storage

Researchers from the Idaho National Laboratory have developed a new type of electrode for hydrogen production through electrolysis – water splitting. The team has used the electrode to demonstrate efficient hydrogen electrolysis at temperatures far lower than previously possible, which could lead to significant cost reductions in large-scale hydrogen production.

A utility survey shows battery storage capacity growing sharply, including solar + storage installations in several U.S. states. Looking ahead, FERC Order 841 could spark extensive new storage for grid services, helping more utilities become familiar with storage and its benefits.

The company’s Dutch unit, Nuon, has agreed to acquire three solar projects totaling 27.5 MW of capacity from Powerfield. The projects will be developed under the Netherlands’ SDE+ program, for large scale renewables.

While it took 60 months to reach the first million electric vehicle (EV) sales, in late 2015, it took the fourth million just six months. China is driving this development. Meanwhile, as first generation EVs batteries are reaching their end-of-life, interest in second-life use cases is growing. The volume of retired EV battery packs is set to be 108 GWh by 2029 – representing a third of the expected storage capacity market at that time.

Saltwater batteries can be fully recycled receiving a “cradle to cradle” certificate, and don’t contain lead or lithium. For some, this prevails over the disadvantages of saltwater batteries being considerably bigger and heavier, as well as having a lower discharging current than lithium-ion batteries.

The market experienced strong growth in nearly all states. Scandinavian countries lead the charge, but Germany showed strong growth in the first half of 2018, analysts report. An uptake in EV sales might result in profound effects on their use as flexible storage units, recent reports and interviews suggest.

Nissan recently supplied batteries to Europe’s largest energy storage system using new and second-life batteries in a commercial building. At the inauguration ceremony, Nissan’s Head of Energy spoke about the car manufacturer’s role in the project, and why EVs are playing an increasingly central role.

Following the signing of an assistance agreement between the Queensland Government and international consortium Imperium 3, an AU$2 billion lithium-ion battery factory is one step closer to reality.

A report by Technavio suggests the global market for battery materials could grow 9% annually in the next four years. Analysts point to the increasing installation of storage systems with PV as a key driver. pv magazine has covered previous reports predicting significant growth in PV and storage systems.