Energy Storage

London-based Eco Energy World, which is already developing at 300 MW solar project north of Gladstone, Queensland, has announced that it is going to combine the solar plant with a 200 MW hydrogen plant and 100 MW of energy storage for green hydrogen exports to the global market.

EnergyAustralia today announced it would be closing Australia’s most carbon-intensive coal power station, Yallourn, four years early and building a 350 MW utility-scale battery at the Latrobe Valley site instead.

Japanese scientists are about to launch solid-state batteries into space.

Lithium-ion batteries can not only improve self-consumption in commercial PV systems but are also able to efficiently perform peak shaving and price arbitrage, according to an international research group which has proposed a new strategy to calculate the best system configuration in terms of costs and revenue. The scientists specified, however, that the novel strategy may become effective only if storage system prices will drop under $250/kWh.

Australian company Redflow has made its single largest sale, supplying 192 zinc-bromine flow batteries to waste conversion specialists Anaergia for US$1.2 million.

Australian mining technology company TNG Limited has had its flagship Mount Peake Project, which includes production plans for vanadium redox flow batteries and green hydrogen, recognised as nationally signifiant.

Congestion due to the push and pull of demand and generation across inadequate transmission infrastructure continues to play havoc with marginal loss factors. Although NSW bears the brunt of AEMO’s draft calculations for the coming financial year, there are some bright spots in the NEM.

LG Energy Solution is facing consumer concerns with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) confirming a recall notice for some of the company’s battery energy storage systems (ESS) due to potential defects which can cause overheating and fire.

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.