Energy Storage

Storage specialist Fluence has launched Ultrastack, a battery energy storage system (BESS) for storage-as-transmission assets. It is designed to help network owners and operators to manage renewables curtailment, increase the use of power lines, and limit congestion.

Western Australian battery technology company Altech Batteries has included “game-changing” sodium chloride technology in the design of its new battery 1 MWh GridPack which is expects will be up to 40% cheaper to produce than the dominant lithium-ion alternatives.

The Australian renewables arm of international energy giant Shell has announced another addition to its rapidly expanding utility-scale battery portfolio, confirming it will team with the Green Investment Group to develop a 200 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system in Victoria.

Australian battery manufacturer Redflow has inked a deal that will see it supply its “non-lithium” energy storage technology to clean energy outfit Ameresco which is looking to develop integrated solar and zinc-bromine flow battery solutions for its customer base throughout North America and Europe.

Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, estimates the country could require a 10 to 14-fold increase in its electricity storage capacity between 2025-2050. It has released its energy storage report, forecasting demand in different sectors and summarising storage technologies.

Swiss researchers have looked at whether storage could be cheaper than curtailment in medium-voltage distribution networks with significant amounts of PV capacity. They considered storage costs, operational costs, grid constraints, electricity costs, PV generation models, and loads.

Australia has been warned it must act swiftly to capture the economic and strategic opportunities of a booming battery industries sector that is predicted could provide $55.2 billion (USD 36.87 billion) in additional gross domestic product to the economy by the end of the decade.

The New Zealand government will further investigate the viability of establishing a pumped hydroelectric facility on the South Island that would provide up to 8.5 TWh of annual generation and storage capacity to support the nation’s transition to 100% renewable electricity generation.

Queensland is continuing its rollout of publicly-owned batteries, announcing the town of Emerald in its Central Highlands Region will soon host a 4 MW / 8 MWh battery. While the announcement doesn’t make reference to buzz term ‘community batteries,’ it seems the state is effectively rolling out a storage fleet to deliver on the promises of the concept.

Australian battery technology startup Relectrify has been given the tick of approval by the International Electrotechnical Commission for its ReVolve energy storage product, opening the way for the company to scale up the global rollout of its cell-level control technology.