Twenty years ago, the problem with rooftop solar was that customers needed a large collection of lead acid batteries to store their daytime energy and use this energy at night. But simple net metering rules made it possible for the electric grid to function as a 100 percent efficient storage device. Unfortunately, utilities are doing everything they can to eliminate net metering so they can maximize their profits. So the compelling need for battery storage linked with rooftop solar has re-emerged.

Although lead acid batteries are an inexpensive and mature technology, they are not well-suited for home energy storage applications. Fortunately, lithium-ion batteries have become much more reliable and inexpensive — primarily because of production volumes required by the automotive industry. That availability comes just in the nick of time as net metering is constrained in some states, and time-of-use electric rates shift towards late afternoons and evenings (limiting potential rooftop solar savings).

LG Chemical is one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world. They recently introduced a line of residential and commercial energy storage systems that are optimized for both residential and commercial solar applications. LG knows how to make reliable appliances — which is essentially what a home battery storage system will be in the home of the future.

My guest on this week’s Energy Show is Linh Tran, Western Regional Sales Manager for LG Chem Power. In addition to explaining the features and benefits of LG Chem’s battery storage products, Linh also explains the special handling requirements that are mandatory for installers of large battery storage systems (hint: DOT Hazmat training is required). For a quick education on the latest in home battery storage, please Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Concentrating solar power (CSP) has existed since 1866, but for the last couple of decades, photovoltaic (PV) has been the dominant solar technology. Now with technological advancements and energy storage, CSP is poised to make a significant comeback. Cleanergy AB, a Stirling CSP technology provider based in Sweden, has signed an agreement to deploy a 200-MW CSP project in China. Datang Holdings New Energy Technologies Ltd in China will secure government approvals and financing for this CSP project.

The project will be built in two phases: 50 MW in 2018 and 150 MW with latent heat storage. There are three forms to store heat: latent, sensible, and thermochemical. The latent heat storage uses the process of melting or crystallizing a material known as Phase Change Material (PCM). Cleanergy believes that it will be essential for all renewable technologies to be equipped with energy storage as penetration of renewable energy increases in the grid. “For CSP specifically, the competitiveness against PV hinges on a more efficient solution for delivery of dispatched energy,” commented Jonas Eklind, president and CEO of Cleanergy.

Aalborg CSP, another CSP provider, made a joint development agreement with SaltX Technology to offer cost-effective, fully-scalable, and dispatchable renewable energy solutions. Based in Sweden, SaltX has invented a patented technology to store thermal energy with salt.

“EnerStore, SaltX’s large-scale storage, is a thermochemical storage, which chemically holds the thermal energy in the salt so that the temperature 500 degree Celsius can be taken out at the same level without maintenance heating and with no or marginal heat losses,” explained Karl Bohman, CEO of SaltX Technology. “In addition, the EnerStore material, with the nano-coating, does not corrode as opposed to molten salt. It is non-toxic and can be recycled at the end of its life cycle.”

Eklind’s comment echoed this. “In order to compete with PV, the storage component in CSP is critical,” he said.

Click Here to Read Full Article

The energy storage market will expand dramatically in the coming years from an annual installation size of 6 GW in 2017 to more than 40 GW by 2021. In addition, an IMS Research report predicts that the market for storing energy from solar panels will go from $200 million in 2012 to nearly $19 billion by the end of this year. This is especially impactful for residential solar, which has seen consistent growth in the past few years and will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

According to McKinsey, energy storage could be the “missing link” that makes intermittent renewables such as solar and wind power totally accessible and reliable all the time. That’s because it allows energy that’s stored while the sun is shining and the wind is blowing to be used later when the wind isn’t blowing or when it’s dark outside. McKinsey also indicates that there’s significant near-term potential for energy storage, and that this is largely due to the fact that prices are dropping dramatically and could be as low as $160 per kilowatt-hour by 2025.

Clearly, there is a mutually beneficial relationship between solar and energy storage. Particularly, long tail (i.e., small regional) solar companies will see greater opportunities as the industry moves away from consolidation and being dominated to a handful of large companies. This remains to be true despite the recent U.S. government policy shifts that deemphasize climate change. In fact, several companies as well as state and local governments have responded that this new policy won’t impede their efforts to support the development and implementation of clean energy including renewables.

New Opportunities for Long Tail Solar Companies with Energy Storage

Now, with solar financing options becoming simpler and more democratized, smaller and more agile solar providers will experience growth right along with the burgeoning energy storage industry. In fact, data show that residential energy storage will grow to 660 MW by 2021, and that most of it will be paired with solar. Solar paired with energy storage will drive growth in both industries.

This implies that partnerships need to be formed between solar and energy storage companies. That’s because long tail installers will need energy storage solutions to meet residential customer demand. However, one of the caveats is that not all energy storage solutions are the same because energy storage isn’t commoditized.

An example is the difference between a simple energy storage system versus an intelligent energy storage system. A simple system will allow customers to store energy from the grid or renewables and that’s pretty much it. For many people, this will be enough to satisfy their energy storage needs. An intelligent system will do this as well, but it will also facilitate energy optimization, home automation, and integration with the Internet of Things (IoT). 

Click Here to Read Full Article

Until recently, the world’s most remote off-grid communities have relied on traditional diesel generators to supply their electricity needs. This has created significant cost and reliability issues. Sometimes, it can cost more to transport the fuel to the site than it actually cost to purchase in the first place. Should adverse weather disrupt travel then there is a risk of running out of fuel. Furthermore, the gensets need regular expensive maintenance.

For these reasons a growing number of communities are now turning to solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. And in many cases, they are adopting microgrid solutions in which the diesel generation and renewable plant complement each other. The aim is always to ensure the reliability and autonomy of the electricity supply and to optimize operating costs.

This is where a large scale lithium-ion (Li-ion) energy storage system (ESS) can play a vital role in mitigating the variable and unpredictable nature of wind and solar plants. The ESS can perform a number of roles, including control of ramp rates, power smoothing, power shaping, peak shaving and frequency regulation.

It is useful to consider the situation at a typical remote site. Using standard power electronics a PV installation might contribute up to 20 to 30 percent of the power that would be generated by the diesel genset during daytime hours. If we add dedicated software then the PV penetration could increase to 50 percent. For example, a 1-MW microgrid might accept up to 300 kW, but this could be raised up to 500 kW of PV in the best case. Since the PV output is limited to sunlight hours, highly variable and does not necessarily meet the required consumption profiles, its contribution to the overall energy mix is naturally limited.

However, when an ESS is introduced, it is possible to maximize the contribution of renewables, increasing the penetration and harvesting all of the PV power. Fuel savings of 50 to 75 percent then become a realistic possibility.

Three recent examples show how energy storage is now making an important contribution for some very remote communities.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Outsiders could be forgiven for thinking that UK energy policy has abandoned renewables — consider the high-profile commitment to nuclear at Hinkley Point, and the Cameron government’s attack on feed in tariffs. It’s less well known that industry and government alike are taking a hard look at the possibilities forenergy storage.

While the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has been scrapped, its work wasn’t killed off. Last year came signs of the ‘smarter energy’ concept gaining ground — using systems and technology that could cut the need to invest in grid reinforcement and generation plant.

The government’s adviser, the National Infrastructure Commission, has calculated that a more flexible power system could save consumers up to £8 billion (US $9.8 billion) a year by 2030. Storage, of course, is a big part of this.

Before it was scrapped, DECC put out a call for evidence from all interested parties about the prospects for smart energy. Its findings are due to be published soon. Meanwhile the UK Solar Trade Association (STA) has been doing its own work.

“The combination of storage and solar is a long-term game changer rather than a short-term market bubble,” its report concluded.

STA wants to encourage field trials and for case studies to be made widely available. It’s especially keen to see the end of double-charging. Electrical storage systems are treated as generation: there’s a charge both for storing and importing (intermediary consumption); also for discharging and using that energy (final consumption).

No one knows what the impact of Brexit might be on, for instance, collaborative research. But, says David Pickup, STA policy manager and the report’s author, things could be done now. “We can learn from Germany,” he toldRenewable Energy World. “There you see the value of a 3-5-year strategy. They had a grant scheme for domestic systems, but the safety and standards requirement for these was quite strict.”

He feels there’s no reason why such knowledge and regulatory practice couldn’t be imported into the UK. Moreover, Pickup thinks the new government could be open to persuasion on storage.

“What’s been striking over the last few months is its evidence-based voice,” he said. “With solar and storage, costs are coming down and the benefits are clear — there are huge amounts of evidence that this is the right way to go.”

Is it worth pushing the newly-created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for California-style targets? California has ordered its three largest utilities to reach 1.3 GW of storage by 2020. Interestingly, Pickup doesn’t think so.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Duke Energy announced plans last week to expand its 1,065-MW Bad Creek pumped storage project by 200 MW, with an anticipated completion date of 2023.

This upgrade was included in the Duke Energy Carolinas Integrated Resources Plan that was filed Sept. 1. The company plans to file a license amendment for this work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2017.

Work to increase capacity will involve installing a more efficient and powerful pump-turbine, a new generator and higher-rated generator output circuit breakers.

“The upgrade is part of our strategy to increase renewable energy and reduce our carbon footprint,” says Kim Crawford, Duke Energy corporate communications. “The additional energy storage will provide a benefit to more renewables in the region. It will also help meet our winter peak demand in the morning hours — when solar power is typically not available.”

Bad Creek is about 8 miles north of Salem, S.C., and began operating in 1991. The upper reservoir is called Bad Creek Reservoir and the lower is Lake Jocassee. The underground powerhouse contains four pump-turbine and motor-generator units.

Bad Creek provides about 10 percent of Duke Energy’s power capacity in the Carolinas.

A second Duke Energy pumped-storage facility, 660-MW Jocassee, uses water from Lake Jocassee, which is its upper reservoir. The utility upgraded this plant a few years ago, increasing its capacity by 50 MW.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Energy Storage News – SunPower Corp. and Consolidated Edison Inc. plan to offer rooftop solar panels bundled with batteries to more than 300 New York residential customers, creating a system that will be able to store energy to feed the grid.

The so-called virtual power plant will have about 1.8 MW of generating capacity and 4 MWh of battery storage, the companies said in a statement Monday, the largest residential distributed-energy storage program in the U.S.

Click Here to Read Full Article