France’s ‘virtual power line’ takes shape
Nidec has deployed a 12 MW/24MWh storage system for French grid operator RTE. The battery – part of a 72 MWh project to prevent grid congestion in peak demand periods – is in an area with abundant renewables, including wind.
Australian utility to deploy 100 MW/200 MWh of storage at old power plant
The state government of Western Australia is expanding its range of solar-smoothing energy storage systems with plans to deploy a big project at the old Kwinana fossil fuel power station near Perth.
More sustainable redox flow batteries with vanillin
Austrian researchers have replaced heavy metals and rare earths with conventional vanillin in a redox flow battery. The Graz University of Technology team now wants to bring this technology to market.
European residential PV battery market hit 2 GWh in 2019
Only 7% of Europe’s residential PV systems are linked with home storage, according to SolarPower Europe. The five largest markets – Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland – account for more than 90% of the continent’s total installed storage capacity.
Ferrocene-based electrolytes for heat-resistant redox flow batteries
German scientists have developed a new electrolyte material that can cope with temperatures of up to 60 C. The material is based on ferrocene, an organometallic molecule known for good redox stability that is commonly used as an internal standard for electrochemical measurements.
The world’s highest utility-scale solar plus storage project
Built in Gangba County, in Xigaze, Tibet, the 40 MW/193 MWh facility was deployed at more than 4,700m above sea level and is functioning as a demonstration project for the ancillary services the technology could offer the Tibetan grid.
Acciona seeks innovative storage technologies
The Spanish renewables company is offering up two of its solar and wind power sites in Spain for the testing of energy storage systems. The call for companies to take part is open until the end of next month.
Tesla battery day bingo
Tesla battery day is next week. Earlier this year, Elon Musk told analysts that what he had to say “will blow your mind. It blows my mind.” Here’s a list of battery hyperbole and terms you’re bound to hear at the event.
Vanadium redox flow battery for storage of wind and solar power
Researchers in India have developed a 5 kW/25 kWh vanadium redox flow battery with an energy density of 30 watt-hours to 40 watt-hours per liter.
Leclanché restructure delayed
Eneris Group has suspended its financial commitments for the time being and Leclanche shareholder Fefam has provided a bridge loan of CHF34 million to give the historic company more time to set up a joint venture for large scale battery cell production in Europe.
