The industry is growing increasingly comfortable with lithium-ion, but its limitations open up a space for other technologies to compete in the storage mix. This deep-dive article describes the growth of energy storage over the past decade, and what the future might look like.
Li-ion battery technology is maturing, but is a relatively new technology compared with lead-acid batteries and is a significant improvement as it offers high energy density, high efficiency, long-cycle life, and lower maintenance. These batteries work on an electrolysis model with lithium metal oxide cathode and graphitic carbon anode placed in an electrolyte made up of lithium salts dissolved in organic carbonates.
Mountain gravity energy storage could be a viable way to store electricity for longer durations and at larger scales than lithium-ion battery storage can, according to a study recently published in the academic journal Energy. The idea of gravity as a form of storage is an example of ongoing research into additional storage options beyond lithium-ion batteries. Despite large cost reductions over the past several years, some experts still view lithium-ion systems as not economically-efficient enough at scale to fully back up the amount of renewable energy expected to come onto the grid due to states’ long-term clean energy goals.
US company Kore Power is planning to build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in its home country to support global growth efforts for its energy storage system. The 305,000-square-metre plant aims to support up to 2000 jobs by providing batteries for the Mark 1TM storage system. Kore Power said it is reviewing potential sites in a handful of states within the US and has narrowed the search down to places with broad access to labor and logistics hubs.
Researchers in Chicago have developed a world first fully rechargeable lithium-carbon dioxide battery, an achievement they claim could pave the way for the use of the greenhouse gas in advanced energy storage systems.
KORE Power, a leading developer of high density, high voltage energy storage solutions, announces that it has retained CohnReznick Capital as its investment banker to advise the Company on a private equity placement to support continued growth and business development.
Duke Energy Carolinas is partnering with Anderson County, S.C., to build an energy storage project at the Anderson Civic Center that will be part of the company’s long-term strategy to integrate battery technology into the smart-thinking grid it is building in the Carolinas. The battery project will also provide power to a facility that is critical during emergency situations, such as being the site of a hurricane evacuation shelter. This project is part of the company’s ongoing plans to invest $500 million in battery storage projects across the Carolinas over the next 15 years.
On October 8, 2019, an industrial 'second life' battery system was first put into use in Belgium. The system consists of 48 used batteries from electric cars, and now forms one large storage battery of 1.2 MW or 720 kWh. Now that the electric car is gaining popularity, the question arises as to what will happen to all batteries once the cars are no longer being used; the partnership between Engie and Umicore will develop applications for these ex-EV batteries.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 was awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino 'for the development of lithium-ion batteries.' This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles. It can also store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making possible a fossil fuel-free society.
National Grid on Tuesday unveiled the largest battery storage project in the Northeast, with hopes that the project can help make the island’s electric supply system more reliable and resilient. The utility installed a 6 megawatt/48 megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery energy storage system that will work alongside a new 15 megawatt generator and power control house on the island.
A battery storage project using second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries is set to be built in Germany, with an aim of developing an installed capacity of 20MW. The project is being billed as the largest stationary electricity storage system using EV batteries in Germany, following on from an initial 45MW project in France. The stationary storage system is to be built using EV batteries compiled in containers, using both second-life batteries and new batteries stored for future use in standard replacement during after-sales operations.
A 72 MW/72 MWH battery system owned by a global independent power producer is expected to soon start providing grid services in PJM territory, signaling the storage industry’s increasing maturation and ability to compete with traditional resources. Industry supporters have argued that getting more storage online to support renewables integration and provide other grid benefits would require compensation schemes that allow storage to compete.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced the 15 winners of Phase 1 of the Battery Recycling Prize, a prize that aims to reclaim and recycle critical materials (e.g., cobalt and lithium) from lithium-based battery technology. For a total of $1 million in prizes, these projects focus on cost-effective recycling processes to recover as much economic value as possible from spent lithium-ion batteries.
SmartFlower Solar has partnered with NEC Energy Solutions, who will be supplying the batteries for the Smartflower +Plus. With battery storage being a major area of growth for the clean energy industry, SmartFlower will be able to continuously provide customers with the ability to produce and store clean, reliable energy whether they’re on or off the grid. The Smartflower +Plus is a self-contained solar energy system with 5.5 kWh of battery storage and is fully integrated.
Ameresco, Inc. has announced the completion of a comprehensive energy storage project on behalf of Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The project began in 2015 when Ameresco secured two Energy Storage Facility Agreements from the IESO to design, build, own and operate 2 MW, four-hour “Battery Solid” energy storage systems. These recently completed systems provide 16 MWh in overall energy storage capacity. Both systems absorb power during periods of excess energy supply and deliver it back to the grid when energy demand is high.
Bolivia will try and capitalize on its large lithium reserves to set up an industrial ecosystem around batteries and other storage technologies, according to a top government official. The country’s vice president Alvaro García Linera described the government’s plans for a “lithium industrialization” drive as he attended the opening of a PV project in Oruro, in Bolivia’s west. “Oruro won’t just produce mineral and power but also lithium, lithium hydroxide, cathodes and lithium batteries,” García said as he toured the 50MW first batch of a 100MW PV complex.
KORE Power is developing battery storage technology which could lead to a manufacturing facility being sited in the state with up to 2,000 jobs. KORE Power produces lithium ion batteries using a similar technology to batteries today, but with higher density and less cost, said CEO Lindsay Gorrill. The cells can be used in a variety of products, ranging from an electric bicycle to the massive storage a utility company would use, he said.
This white paper describes how fire and thermal event risk prevention and management is currently being addressed in the storage industry, with a focus on lithium-ion batteries due to their current market dominance in new deployments. The paper outlines the types of operational risks in energy storage applications, the history of the industry’s attention to fire and thermal event prevention, current codes and standards governing battery storage systems, and additional best practices.
The U.S. Energy Storage Association today published a white paper on operational risk management, advancing the industry’s ongoing effort to reinforce industry-wide safety standards. The paper, Operational Risk Management in the U.S. Energy Storage Industry: Lithium-Ion Fire and Thermal Event Safety, examines how fire and thermal event risk prevention and management are currently being addressed in the energy storage industry; outlines the operational risks associated with energy storage applications; and analyzes best practices as well as codes and standards governing battery storage systems.
KORE Power, a developer of high density, high voltage energy storage solutions, provides an update about the manufacturing, assembly, testing and development process for its Mark 1 Energy Storage System in advance of expected production in Q1 2020. The KORE Power team met with manufacturing partner, Do-Fluoride Chemicals (DFD) to enhance the structural design of the Mark 1 solution and review the cell technology and processes for manufacturing, assembly and quality control. The trip was a success and KORE Power anticipates that production of the cells will be at full capacity in February 2020, a full month ahead of schedule.
Without fail, the name John Goodenough crops up during Nobel Prize season. Many scientists believe he’s deserving of chemistry’s top honor. The University of Texas at Austin materials scientist is credited with developing a material that led to mass commercialization of lithium-ion batteries, the technology that powers our smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and other gadgets big and small. Though Goodenough, aged 97, hasn’t yet won a Nobel Prize, he’s not mired down by what could have been. He is renowned for his scientific accomplishments, warm personality, and infectious laugh.
Sure, small-scale batteries in homes and businesses can link up and deliver veritable megawatts of capacity. But there’s nothing like the sheer adrenaline rush of stacks and stacks of lithium-ion cells packed into climate-controlled boxes and blasting electrons faster than a coal plant operator can say “secular decline.” So who’s got the biggest battery?
East Penn has announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Navitas Systems, a leader in larger-format lithium battery technology and systems for heavy-duty commercial/industrial as well as government/defense market segments. The acquisition will accelerate East Penn’s expansion of its Motive Power battery offering, as well as its strategic integration into other market segments. Navitas products will complement East Penn’s offerings, and its lithium Research and Development expertise will add to East Penn’s current lithium R&D program.
The United States will grow to be the largest global market for solar + storage this year, where peaking capacity requirements are driving procurement, according to a recent IHS Markit study. Utility-scale solar + storage projects now are online or being built in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana and Florida, and the list grows. In March, NextEra Energy said it would build the Florida Power and Light Manatee Energy Storage Center’s battery system, with four times the capacity of the world’s largest battery system currently in operation.