How Soon Can Tesla Get Battery Cell Costs Below $100 per Kilowatt-Hour?

on March 26, 2016

greentech media

Where does the lithium-ion battery industry — and most notably, Tesla/Panasonic — stand today on battery costs?

Solar veterans will recall a time not so long ago when the industry’s biggest dream was a PV module with a cost of 99 cents per watt. Obviously, the solar industry has long left that figure in the dust — module costs of 40 cents per watt are a reality in today’s market.

In fact, the 99-cent figure was more a VC-funding, press-ready construct than a real economic calculation.

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GreenTech MediaHow Soon Can Tesla Get Battery Cell Costs Below $100 per Kilowatt-Hour?

Ilika plc to launch world-first in battery technology at IDTechEx 2016

on March 22, 2016

energy-harvesting-journal

Ilika plc (LON: IKA) is using the IDTechEx Conference in Berlin for the global launch of its ground-breaking micro battery technology on 27th April 2016. Its new family of batteries is set to revolutionise the design of sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Ilika will be showing the product on stand G12 at the Energy Harvesting & Storage Europe Conference at IDTechEx and also at the ‘Demonstration Alley’. CEO Graeme Purdy will additionally be speaking on the topic of solid state micro- batteries for IoT at the conference at 4.40pm on Thursday 28th April. 

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Energy Harvesting JournalIlika plc to launch world-first in battery technology at IDTechEx 2016

How California Schools Save Millions Using Energy Storage

on March 15, 2016

cleantechnica

On March 1st, San Diego’s third-largest school district, Grossmont, joined the growing number of school districts in California turning to energy storage to save on their energy bills. Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego’s east county region announced plans to install a 7.4 megawatt-hour energy storage deployment at 14 sites in 9 district locations in a partnership with California-based Green Charge Networks*. The installation is expected to save the district more than $6.4 million in reduced utility costs over the life of the project. The energy storage system and installation came at no cost to the district through Green Charge’s performance-based Power Efficiency Agreement™ (PEA) shared savings model.

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CleanTechnicaHow California Schools Save Millions Using Energy Storage

Germany’s Second-Biggest Utility Plans to Launch a Residential Solar-Plus-Storage Offering

on March 15, 2016

greentech media

Germany’s second-largest energy company, E.ON, is planning to launch a residential PV-plus-storage offering for the German market in April, the company has confirmed. The product will be based on Solarwatt’s MyReserve battery systems, which went on sale last year.

“We will collect feedback from the market and from customers, and then fine-tune the product,” said E.ON’s vice president of battery systems, Eliano Russo. “The final launch will be in September.”

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GreenTech MediaGermany’s Second-Biggest Utility Plans to Launch a Residential Solar-Plus-Storage Offering

Avista Utilities Develops Energy Storage Project In Washington

on March 15, 2016

cleantechnica

This country’s utilities are addressing disruptive changes taking place in a number of different ways. Some adhere to more standard business models, moving at a painstaking snail’s pace in order to make any kind of change, no matter how timely the alterations. Then there are others who are embracing innovation, looking at the universe of changing technologies as an open door to new business opportunities.

Include Washington-based Avista Utilities on the list of utilities embracing the disruptive technologies which are presently happening across the industry, such as battery storage technology, and leveraging it for a new business model called “economies of scope” – a model Avista believes is the future of the utility business.

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CleanTechnicaAvista Utilities Develops Energy Storage Project In Washington

How Distributed Battery Storage Will Surpass Grid-Scale Storage in the US by 2020

on March 15, 2016

greentech media

In 2020, America’s energy storage market will likely surpass 1.6 gigawatts — making it 28 times bigger than it was in 2015.

The U.S. market in 2020 will be defined not just by higher volumes, but by diversity in project types. While large storage projects on the utility’s side of the meter currently dominate deployments, smaller batteries in homes and businesses on the customer’s side of the meter will become the biggest segment in terms of capacity in the next four years.

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GreenTech MediaHow Distributed Battery Storage Will Surpass Grid-Scale Storage in the US by 2020

Duke Energy trialing innovative storage system in N Carolina

on March 14, 2016

SeeNews-Renewables

March 11 (SeeNews) – US utility Duke Energy Corp (NYSE:DUK) is testing hybrid ultracapacitor-battery energy storage system at one of its substations in North Carolina, it said Thursday.

The 100-kW/300-kWh storage system, said to be the first of its kind, went online last month. It will be used to demonstrate applications, including extended operational life, rapid response, real-time solar smoothing and load shifting. There is a 1.2-MW solar installation connected near the substation.

“With so many solar installations in North Carolina, we must look for innovative ways to better incorporate renewable energy into our system – and still provide reliable service at a competitive price for our customers,” said Thomas Golden, technology development manager for Duke Energy.

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SeeNews RenewablesDuke Energy trialing innovative storage system in N Carolina

Cheaper Battery Technology for Solar Storage

on March 14, 2016

energy-harvesting-journal

Researchers at WMG, University of Warwick have formed a new research partnership with battery technology innovators Faradion, and smart energy storage specialists Moixa Technology, to develop sodium-ion cells as a significantly lower cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries for solar energy storage. This collaboration is being part funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

A significant proportion of the cost of current solar energy storage systems comes from the commonly used lithium-ion battery. However by using highly abundant sodium salts rather than lithium, Sodium-ion cells are anticipated to be 30% cheaper to produce. This makes solar storage more accessible and opening up the possibility of domestic renewable energy storage to a greater number of households and businesses worldwide. Developments in this area could lead to a CO2 reduction of 500,000 tonnes each year. 

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Energy Harvesting JournalCheaper Battery Technology for Solar Storage

Prospects for Wind, Solar, Storage, DR Dominate Talk at ERCOT Market Summit

on March 12, 2016

RTO-Insider

AUSTIN, Texas — Energy storage, demand response and solar have a place alongside wind in the Texas market, speakers at Infocast’s ERCOT Market Summit said last week.

PTC Reductions will Challenge Wind

Susan Williams Sloan, the American Wind Energy Association’s vice president for state policy, said the extension of the wind production tax credit provides “five years of certainty. It’s what we have been looking for to compete in this industry, which requires so much capital.”

Matthew Burt, senior vice president for Renewable Energy Systems, said the gradual reduction of the PTC will be a challenge to the wind industry. Over “the next few years … we have to get the prices down,” he said. “The wind itself is free, but the equipment is very expensive.”

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RTO InsiderProspects for Wind, Solar, Storage, DR Dominate Talk at ERCOT Market Summit

‘Game-ifying’ demand response: How one utility tries to keep DR programs fresh for customers

on March 11, 2016

Utility-Drive

What used to be considered distinct methods of modifying demand – energy efficiency, demand response, behavioral-driven load shifts – are increasingly coming together in customer facing programs. While the load and revenues associated may still be distinct for the utility, a key to engaging customers is in presenting a cohesive message they can act around.

“The customer experience is seamless,” said America Lesh, manager of energy efficiency programs for Baltimore Gas & Electric. “They don’t need to know that these are separate programs. That’s even true of the energy efficiency space. Customers want to pick something, set it and forget it.”

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Utility Dive‘Game-ifying’ demand response: How one utility tries to keep DR programs fresh for customers

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