Seven tenders for a total of 84 megawatt-hours have now been issued. India is finally seeing the emergence of a grid-scale energy storage market after years of anticipation. This month the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) invited bids for 3.6 gigawatt-hours of storage connected to 1.2 gigawatts of solar on India’s interstate transmission system, […]
Spotlight on … batteries and chargers
Here are some recent product announcements that have crossed our editors’ desks Lithium forklift batteries: Navitas Systems’ Starlifter lithium forklift batteries (above) are designed with an advanced proprietary battery management system (BMS) that was created in-house and is also manufactured in-house on the company’s own printed circuit board production line. They’re built to automotive/industrial standards […]
Utilities are starting to invest in big batteries instead of building new power plants
Due to their decreasing costs, lithium-ion batteries now dominate a range of applications including electric vehicles, computers and consumer electronics. You might only think about energy storage when your laptop or cellphone are running out of juice, but utilities can plug bigger versions into the electric grid. And thanks to rapidly declining lithium-ion battery prices, […]
Volvo batteries, California superhighways, more efficient motors: Today’s Car News
Falling reliability costs the Tesla Model 3 its Consumer Reports recommendation. Could high-speed rail be replaced with high-speed highways? Volvo is pulling depleted batteries out of electric buses to use as energy storage for solar in a large apartment complex in Sweden. Argonne National Lab has developed a smaller, lighter, more efficient electric motor. All […]
How Solar and Batteries Could Help California Manage Fire-Prevention Grid Shutdowns
Sunrun wants solar-battery microgrids to be part of PG&E’s plan to mitigate what could be widespread blackouts geared to prevent fires. As Pacific Gas & Electric and California regulators grapple with how to manage the potential for widespread fire-prevention grid shutdowns this summer, clean energy advocates are demanding a role for solar, energy storage and […]
Purdue scientists test flow battery for EVs, claim 300-mile range
9 According to scientists at Purdue University, the best way to charge electric car batteries may be to take them to a gas station, and have them serviced at an instant oil-change shop. The two scientists have been […]
EV battery systems able to kick-start large power plants
Transmission system operator TenneT and Daimler subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Energy have joined forces in a development partnership to see whether EV batteries could stabilise large grids. The result: Automobile battery storage systems can indeed make a significant contribution to grid stabilization and system reconstruction. The study was carried out within the framework of the Enera project […]
How Market Rules Are Holding Back Energy Storage
Wholesale market rules are organized around legacy assets, which is restricting storage from selling all of its potential services. Energy storage is surging. The U.S. Energy Storage Monitor Q4 2018 estimates that installations totaled 338 megawatts in 2018, and will grow to 3.9 gigawatts by 2023, much of it front-of-the-meter utility-scale projects. This exponential growth has been […]
Toyota and Panasonic Form Joint Venture to Make Electric Vehicle Batteries
The news reflects mounting competition among global battery manufacturers. Toyota Motor Corporation and Panasonic Corporation announced Tuesday that the two companies will establish a joint venture next year to produce prismatic lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, and next-generation batteries for electric vehicles. Contracts concluded today confirm earlier reports of a formal partnership between the two companies, […]
Jaguar Land Rover Confirms Battery Manufacturing Plans Amid Job Cuts
But the U.K. carmaker’s switch to electric vehicles could be complicated by Brexit. Jaguar Land Rover, Britain’s largest vehicle manufacturer, has reaffirmed its commitment to battery manufacturing plans despite laying off around 10 percent of its workforce. “Later this year, next-generation Electric Drive Units (EDU) will be produced at the company’s Engine Manufacturing Centre in […]
