Energy Storage

The facility is expected to be located in the state of Ceará and to be powered by around 3.6 GW of wind and solar facilities located in the region. The project developer is Australia-based Enegix Energy.

With reins tightly held by China, a handful of players are trying to prise the production of a core ingredient of lithium-ion batteries out of Goliath’s hand before the battery boom begins in earnest with the electrification of the transport sector. The head of one of those companies, WA start-up International Graphite, spoke to pv magazine Australia about the hunger of both investors and customers, and the surprisingly collaborative race to feed global demand.

EDF and Oceanus plan to build a pumped hydro storage station and a desalination system powered by wind and solar. The system will use saltwater to produce hydropower during periods of high demand, while producing affordable freshwater.

German energy company Steag is helping Thyssenkrupp decarbonise its steel production site in Duisburg-Walsum. Green hydrogen generation is expected to be powered by a mix of wind and solar power.

Australia’s infrastructure advisory body has added a number of renewable energy-related projects to its priority list, recognising the need for investment in the “once-in-a-lifetime transition from thermal generation to intermittent renewables.”

Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group’s ambitious Fortescue Future Industries wants to build a renewable energy portfolio of more than 235 GW. The ambition, combined with the apparently bullish effort of Fortescue executives in recent months, has garnered headlines, and now Fortescue has announced former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former National Intelligence chief Nick Warner as part of its team.

Porous nanostructured microspheres made of copper, iron, and iron oxide were used by an international research team as negative anode material in lithium-ion batteries. The new technique is claimed to provide three times more capacity than batteries based on graphite anodes.

In the race to develop hydrogen projects, pilots and potential, Victoria has stated its advantages and desired outcomes. The Australian Hydrogen Council commends the state’s just-published Renewable Hydrogen Development Plan as “comprehensive”.

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.