Batteries won big in the U.K.’s contest to provide power that can be dispatched quickly to help keep the electricity grid stable, a step that will help the nation expand the amount of renewable energy it’s using.

The companies that won National Grid Plc’s enhanced frequency-response tender include EDF Energy Renewables Ltd., Vattenfall AB, EON SE, Low Carbon, Element Power Ltd., RES and Belectric Solar Ltd. Of the 64 sites with storage units that bid, 61 were batteries, marking the first time National Grid will used the technology at that scale. They will supply electricity at 1 second’s notice.

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Two SDSU engineering researchers are using biochar, an inexpensive carbon-rich material and a new method of creating the porous surface needed to capture electricity to reduce the cost of supercapacitors.  

The ability to absorb and discharge energy quickly make supercapacitors an integral part of energy harvesting systems, however, supercapacitors are expensive. About half the materials cost comes from the use of activated carbon to coat the electrodes, according to Materials Today. Supercapacitor-grade activated carbon can cost $15 per kilogram.

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Energy storage deployment has been ramping up at a rapid pace across the country, mainly because it can reduce electric bills and cut utility expenses. It is now time to consider another key benefit of storage—public health, especially the power of energy storage to reduce pollution in marginalized communities.

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HERNDON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Greensmith Energy, the leader in energy storage software and integration services, announced it will partner with E.ON Climate and Renewables and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to design and deliver a grid-scale energy storage system located at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park southeast of Tucson. The 10 megawatt (MW) site will provide frequency response and voltage control in addition to solar integration for a new 2 MW array.

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A world leading large-scale solar and battery storage project in north Queensland has drawn interest from the world’s biggest miner, BHP Billiton, which says it is looking at the technology for its remote and off-grid mine sites.

The project, near Lakeland south of Cooktown, will combine 10.4MW of solar PV with 1.4MW/5.3MWh of lithium-ion battery storage, and is being pitched as a world-first for remote, edge of grid technology, and one likely to trigger a host of similar projects across Australia.

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In a fast-developing industry teeming with technologies that promise to be the next big thing, energy storage appears to be the biggest.

Its supporters not only sing its praises but also tout what they say is its inevitability.

“We’re going to have 10 times as much energy storage on the grid by the end of this decade and that is going to impact every facet of the energy industry,” said Matt Roberts, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, an industry trade group.

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US-based storage provider AES Energy Storage, a subsidiary of AES Corporation, has signed contracts with utility San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) to install two energy storage arrays with a combined capacity of 37.5MW.

AES will deploy its Advancion 4 storage systems at two SDG&E substations in San Diego County, California, with 30MW in Escondido and 7.5MW in El Cajon. They will help the utility improve regional reliability and integrate more renewable energy. The Advancion arrays will be able to provide 37.5 MW of power for four continuous hours and serve as a 75 MW of flexible resource to the grid.

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SDG&E was already bidding out storage projects when California regulators said they wanted to pick up the pace, allowing the utility to have the AES project on the table within months. The CPUC is pushing for expedited deployment to  avoid potential blackouts in the state, related to gas losses at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility.

“We were in the process of a competitive solicitation for energy storage and already had completed a pre-evaluation of respondents,” SDG&E Chief Development Officer James Avery, “As a result, we could move quickly to respond to theCPUC’s request for expedited proposals.”

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SAN DIEGO, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a proposal bySan Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) to build two new energy storage projects in San Diego County. In May, the CPUC directedSouthern California electric utilities to fast-track additional energy storage options to enhance regional energy reliability.

Adding storage resources improves the overall reliability of the grid as it allows the system to accommodate greater amounts of renewable power and helps to ease congestion. SDG&E proposes to charge the batteries during times when there is an abundance of solar or wind power and discharge them during the peak usage time in the early evening.

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