Grids & Integration

Queensland flow battery company Redflow has won a second deal with the United States Department of Defence to supply a non-lithium energy storage solution that will be deployed to improve energy security at a major naval base in Italy.

French renewable energy and storage developer Neoen has initiated construction of the next stage of what will be one of Australia’s largest battery energy storage systems after securing a second four-hour capacity services contract for Western Australia’s main electricity grid.

Australian clean energy developers Atmos Renewables and Nomad Energy have received the green light for a 100 MW, four-hour battery energy storage system to be built near Merredin in Western Australia’s central Wheatbelt region.

The International Energy Agency has issued its first report on the importance of battery energy storage technology in the energy transition. It has found that tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 would require 1,500 GW of battery storage.

As rising renewables penetration and electrification place ever more strain on the world’s grids, the use of grid-forming inverters, rather than grid-following models, will play a vital role in network stability.

Two Korean research institutes are designing a space solar power satellite project with the aim of providing approximately 1 TWh of electricity to the Earth per year. The proposed system would use 4,000 sub-solar arrays measuring 10 metres × 270 metres and comprising thin film roll-out, with a system power efficiency of 13.5%.

A report commissioned by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has found that if 10% of the nation’s vehicles are electric and utilise vehicle-to-grid connections, they could reduce peak electricity demand at local substations by 6% and save car owners hundreds of dollars per year on charging costs.

The renewable energy arm of Australian construction and engineering group Cimic says it has received connection approval for the 250 MW Hopeland Solar Farm being developed in Queensland’s Western Downs region.

A smart phone, an app and new fleet management system are tools of choice for Queensland clean tech startup Evos Energy which has evolved its electric vehicle charging solutions to enable businesses to transition work and staff vehicles to electric.

Researchers in India have simulated a 4 kW solar power-based hybrid electric vehicle charging station using a three-stage charging strategy and found that the station is capable of charging 10–12 EVs with 48 V 30 Ah lithium-ion batteries.