Distributed Storage

The central Australian town of Alice Springs is on track to achieve 50% renewable power generation by 2030 but a new report says urgent investment and action is needed to integrate the increasing amounts of renewable energy, including solar PV and battery energy storage, into its isolated grid.

The South Australian government has announced the locations for two community batteries that are to maximise the local use of cheap solar, reduce pressure on solar-heavy grids and pave the way for more rooftop PV.

A new report puts electricity generation, storage, transmission and electrification from renewable sources on Australia’s front line to combat climate pollution.

The need for long-duration energy storage in a net-zero world is undeniable but with conventional battery prices tumbling, can anything dislodge the mainstream grip of lithium ion? S&P Global’s Susan Taylor provides an update on non-lithium storage technologies.

The first installations featuring the Tesla Powerwall 3 are currently being completed in the United States, with the company promoting a fully integrated solar-plus-storage and electric vehicle (EV) residential system, with big backup power capacity. While the first Powerwall created a new market segment, the latest iteration enters a marketplace in oversupply.

Battery technology company Lithium Australia’s 100%-owned subsidiary Envirostream is seeking to scale up its battery recycling efforts, signing an updated agreement with South Korean manufacturer LG Energy Solution in a move that could deliver 770 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries for recycling.

Australian electric vehicles could earn up to $12,000 in a single year using vehicle-to-grid technology to provide frequency regulation services to the National Electricity Market according to a report published by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Energizer Solar, the licensee for US battery giant Energizer, has selected Australia as the first market to launch its renewable home ‘ecosystem.’ Including new hybrid inverters, a hybrid battery, solar panels, and soon an EV charger, the product suite has been certified and is landing on Australian shores “as we speak,” Gavin Owen, Energizer Solar’s Head of APAC Sales, told pv magazine Australia.

The Northern Territory has emerged as the national leader in solar battery adoption with more than 30% of homes and businesses with rooftop solar systems having now installed a battery.

Investigators from Fire and Rescue New South Wales have determined a compromised lithium-ion battery was the cause of a housefire north of Sydney last week where two people died.