Energy Storage

Dr. Thomas Nann examines the benefits and limitations of lithium-ion batteries, imploring Australia to embrace disruptive innovation, not incrementalism.

Fike Corp., a US industrial-hazard protection specialist, has launched Fike Blue, a tested, patented solution that suppresses battery fires and stops cascading thermal runaway.

Swedish battery maker Northvolt has developed its first sodium-ion battery. The cell has been validated for an energy density of more than 160 Wh/kg and is designed for energy storage applications.

More than 1 GW of firmed storage capacity is set to be delivered by the six winning projects from the New South Wales (NSW) tender combining state and federal schemes. Akaysha Energy’s 415 MW / 1660 MWh battery in Wellington and AGL’s 500 MW / 1000 MWh Liddell battery are the round’s two biggest projects.

Australian mining and green energy major Fortescue has revealed plans to establish a new clean energy technology manufacturing plant in the United States as it looks to take advantage of America’s $565 billion (USD 369 billion) Inflation Reduction Act.

Australian energy storage startup Green Gravity will explore opportunities to deploy its gravitational energy storage technology in Europe after inking an agreement with the Romanian state-owned energy company Complexul Energetic Valea Jiului SA.

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has determined that Antora Energy’s solar-plus-storage system meets the US military’s stringent standards, as it significantly outperforms emergency diesel generators in survivability probabilities.

With the clean energy transition driving a global increase in demand for critical minerals, the Queensland government has declared Townsville will be home to Australia’s first state-owned processing facility for critical minerals like vanadium.

Western Australian battery technology company Altech Batteries has updated the design of its 1 MWh sodium chloride battery energy storage system, paving the way for the modular units to be stacked three high, allowing for smaller project footprints that conserves valuable land area.

Australian-owned renewable energy investor and developer Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has signed a supply deal with Chinese battery manufacturer CATL that is expected to support the deployment of more than 10 GWh of energy storage systems over the next five years.