SolarEdge and SMA’s launches of inverters compatible with Tesla’s Powerwall and LG Chem’s new range mark a “growing trend” towards higher voltage batteries for residential PV systems, an IHS analyst has said.
Andy Colthorpe and Ben Willis profile some of the companies and technologies making waves in the fast-changing world of stationary energy storage, in a feature article which originally appeared in the seventh issue of PV Tech Power.
German storage manufacturer Tesvolt has been awarded a project to power water pumps in Rwanda with 2.68MWh of battery storage linked to a utility-scale solar system.
Manufacturing equipment supplier Manz AG has issued a warning that it may not be able to meet profit forecasts after an unnamed “large project” in its energy storage segment was halted.
The renewables subsidiary of India’s Tata Power will acquire Welspun Energy PTA Ltd, the clean energy arm of another major Indian company, Welspun Energy, valuing its target at 92.49 billion rupees (US$1.37 billion).
A large-scale system combining advanced batteries and ultracapacitor energy storage to provide both grid services in front of the meter and behind the meter solar shifting is up and running in North Carolina, according to one of the project’s partners.
Toyota’s new headquarters in Texas will source 25% of its power from an onsite PV system, while a deal brokered by an energy management firm means the facility’s remaining energy demand will be met entirely by renewable energy.
Work has been completed on Australia’s “largest solar and battery storage project to date”, a 10.6MW PV installation at a copper mine linked to 6MW of storage, according to developer Juwi.
Developers of commercial solar PV in Britain, hoping to add batteries to their offerings could find the expertise required a significant barrier to entry, the head of a solar installation and power engineering company has said.
GE is hoping that with its ‘all-in-one’ integrated service offering, its new commercial energy management venture can also help put some momentum into US commercial-scale solar.
