Magazine Archive 02 - 2023 | Take charge in 2023

Before invading Ukraine, Russia wanted to become a global hydrogen superpower, with 20% of the global market this decade. The nation is now ostracized in the West and investors are fleeing renewables, but Russia may still have a few aces up its sleeve, as Ian Skarytovsky reports.

The US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is set to ignite the energy storage market in 2024, as analysts expect up to 65 GW/260 GWh of projects through 2026. The outlook is for battery project sizes to increase as the pipeline takes shape, reports pv magazine USA’s Michael Schoeck.

Australia’s Labor government has promised to underwrite big battery project revenues. The nation’s clean energy association has coughed up AUD 120 million ($84.5 million) for eight sites as policymakers draw inspiration from the moves that prompted the solar boom. But it’s not all sunny in battery land Down Under, as Bella Peacock reports.

The deployment of a vanadium flow battery at a fire station run by Native Americans illustrates the role that the energy storage technology can play in ensuring that nobody is disadvantaged by the shift away from fossil fuels, as Invinity’s Matt Harper explains.

Plots of land abandoned as graveyards of hazardous materials are being reborn as clean energy hubs. pv magazine USA’s Ryan Kennedy looks at the diverse opportunities for solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle (EV) charging station developers.

Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is essential for decarbonizing the grid, but gigawatt-hour scale systems continue to be tricky for companies with big ideas. Tristan Rayner checks on the latest innovations across a flourishing array of new and old ideas.

A surge of community battery trials in Australia is seeking to make better use of the country’s vast distributed solar resource. But the results so far have battered expectations. pv magazine Australia’s Natalie Filatoff and Bella Peacock explore the motivations, challenges, and outlook for sharing and monetizing solar rooftop riches.

Long-duration energy storage (LDES) systems, generally defined as storing eight or more hours of energy, are widely expected to be necessary to reach energy transition goals. Flexible forms of fossil fuel energy, such as gas peaking plants, are currently used to manage the intermittent peaks and troughs of renewable energy generation. However, these will need to be replaced with a zero-carbon alternative. Everoze partner David Thomason investigates the alternatives to lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries that may provide long-duration services.

The BOS [balance-of-system] equipment trophy was awarded to EKO Instruments Managing Director Kees Hoogendijk, right, by pv magazine Senior Editor Emiliano Bellini, for the company’s MS-80SH pyranometer.                       Kevin Keene, founder of Brighten Haiti, poses with the sustainability trophy. The US-based organization was awarded for […]

The production of lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries is a complex and costly affair, with many opportunities for improvement. US-based 24M Technologies is working with several manufacturing partners to ramp up the processing of its semi-solid battery design, which promises significant savings in equipment, processing and material costs. pv magazine met with the company’s co-founder and chief scientist, Yet-Ming Chiang, to discuss the technology and its route to market.