Distributed Storage

The delicate balancing act between incentivising rooftop solar uptake, versus moderating its effects on the grid and electricity markets continues, with the Victorian energy regulator reducing the state’s minimum solar feed-in tariff from 1 July.

Smart metering services provider Intellihub cracked the million meter mark this week as the smart meter market in Australia and New Zealand surges off the back of continuing solar uptake.

The module manufacturer’s new storage unit, Trina Storage, aims to create innovative solutions for the combination of photovoltaics and storage, grid services and other applications.

Dutch scientist Bonna Newmann spoke with pv magazine about the present and future of vehicle-integrated PV from a technological and economic perspective. Solar panels installed on cars could have a payback time of only three or four years and ensure 10,000 km of pure PV-generated road travel per year, she said. Furthermore, if you live in a sunny place, you can drive an electric car with solar panels for weeks during summertime, without the need for recharging, she pointed out.

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its Default Market Offer for 2021-2022, and it is another fall in electricity prices, especially if you live in South Australia, New South Wales or south-east Queensland. The regulator says one of the main factors driving the now continuous fall in electricity prices is the investment in renewables, in particular the estimated uptake of rooftop solar.

New South Wales network operator Ausgrid yesterday launched its first community battery in Beacon Hill, north of Sydney. It is one of three community batteries being installed across Sydney allowing solar customers to store their extra energy at no additional cost.

With 7,600 residents and many more travellers recharging at its holiday properties each year, Ingenia Communities Group is set to lead the retirement and affordable-travel-accommodation sectors towards solar uptake following a major investment by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

At present, China accounts for almost 75% of global lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity and this share is set to increase through the short term with its build-out of new facilities. And although the US and Europe are enacting policies to encourage domestic battery production, there has been a distinct lack of support for investment in the supply and refining of the raw materials to achieve this. In China, the opposite holds true. 

The rush to deliver energy storage solutions to support Australia’s electricity grid continues apace with Meridian Energy Australia receiving approval to install a 20 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) alongside the Hume Hydroelectric Power Station in regional New South Wales.

Chip Breitenkamp, of Nanograf, discusses American battery manufacturing, how to ensure a resilient and equitable supply chain, and how to create jobs.