Storage and the rise of the virtual power plant

The rising demand for lithium-ion batteries far outstrips the available supply, even as investments into materials extraction and manufacturing ramp up like never before. But what does the situation really look like and when will it ease up? Andy Colthorpe investigates.

Solar and energy storage were described by Elon Musk as going together “like peanut butter and jelly”. Andy Colthorpe meets some of the players creating this winning combination in the US.

With a handful of leading regions deploying grid-scale storage at a faster rate than ever, what sort of impact are these additions having so far on the problems they are intended to solve? Cameron Murray investigates.

With Europe’s energy crisis showing no sign of abating, Charlie Ward, head of renewables at New Stream Renewables, assesses the contributing factors to price volatility and PPA strategies for renewables moving forward.

In the midst of an energy crisis, both generators and offtakers are considering their next moves. Sean Rai-Roche speaks with analysts and experts across the continent to decipher what is expected to happen to prices and what that means for companies’ operations.

Identifying reliable module supply has become a huge challenge in the PV industry over the past couple of years. Moving forward, the industry needs to create a more globallydiversified manufacturing footprint, thereby avoiding any unexpected trade-related barriers that could be enforced. Understanding which module suppliers are going to prevail in this landscape will become of key importance over the next 12-18 months, Finlay Colville explains.