Magazine Archive 2019

Technological breakthroughs have come thick and fast to the solar and energy storage space in recent years, allowing both sectors to claim an increasing share of the world’s energy infrastructure. As PV pins its hopes on further innovations to push further into the mix, some new technologies will make the leap from laboratory to production and inform the industry’s future, while others will falter or fall along the wayside.

Apricum’s Florian Mayr, partner and Head of the Energy Storage and Green Mobility Practices, Stephanie Adam, senior consultant, and Jesselyn Malimata, explore the true impact of e-mobility on stationary energy storage markets and applications.

Time: GMT+8 | Currency: Yuan renminbi (US$ 1: CNY 6.78) | Population: 26.32 million | Average temperature in June: 28/21 C°

With the 13th SNEC PV Power Expo opening its doors in Shanghai on June 4, visitors can expect a melange of sights and sounds. Local resident, photographer Dave Tacon provides a quick glimpse into life in the bustling city.

Plans for a gigawatt factory in Saudi Arabia, bullet-proof warranties and an international vanadium rental service are propelling a new generation of batteries into the energy storage big league. Pioneers of redox flow technology claim that they can put an end to the degradation and safety issues afflicting lithium-ion batteries. They also expect imminent economies of scale to reduce the cost of bulk energy storage and unlock new markets for solar power.

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is the technology that enables bidirectional charging – where an electric vehicle (EV) can both charge from and discharge into the grid. With V2G, EVs can play the same role as static batteries in managing local loads and participating in energy market value streams. Alexander Lewis-Jones, head of electric vehicles research at Delta-ee looks at the opportunities this technology provides, and remaining challenges to wider adoption.

Li Zhenguo, President of Longi

Australia’s large-scale solar boom faces serious constraints in the form of a long and skinny electricity network – making some ideal sites unattractive to project developers. Legacy regulations and a lack of transparency have also caused last-minute roadblocks and costly delays for developers.

Everybody has asked their neighbor for milk when the shops were closed. But what about electricity? With new legislation, villages in the EU are setting up systems where this could soon be a reality.

India’s transition toward electric vehicles and renewable generation makes a strong case for grid-scale battery storage. And with the government going all out to ensure that demand is met through local manufacturing, ample opportunity is being created for joint ventures – as the country, at present, lacks the requisite experience.