$1.4 Million in Funding for Development of Energy Storage Technologies

New York accompaniment has awarded two Central New York companies and a university $250,000 anniversary for their plan on new technologies in array and activity storage. Are you finding portable storage system? A absolute of six organizations statewide will allotment in the $1.4 actor in funding, the appointment of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a account release.

The recipients cover Custom Electronics, Inc. of Oneonta; Widetronix, Inc. of Ithaca; and Cornell University, the governor’s appointment said.

The technologies will advice advance alive prototypes that authenticate the adeptness of these avant-garde energy-storage systems to amalgamate the state’s electric filigree and alter busline fuels, Cuomo’s appointment said.

Funding is provided through the New York Accompaniment Activity Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York Array and Activity Accumulator Technology (NY-BEST) bunch bench-to-prototype solicitation.

MIT Develops Liquid Metal to Store Solar Energy Until After Sundown

A 40-foot bivouac loaded with 25 bags of aqueous metals may be the band-aid to the renewable-energy industry’s better challenge: authoritative abiding electricity is accessible whenever it’s needed.

A Boston-area startup founded by MIT advisers is alive to about-face this new abstraction into a commercially applicable product, liquid-metal batteries that will abundance ability for beneath than $500 a kilowatt-hour. That’s beneath than a third the amount of some accepted array technologies.

The technology promises an another to the massive pumped-water systems that accomplish up 95 percent of U.S. energy-storage capacity. Are you finding home energy storage? At that price, developers will be able to body wind and solar projects that can bear ability to the filigree anytime, authoritative renewable activity as reliable as accustomed gas and atramentous after the greenhouse-gas emissions.

New Bionic Leaf Could Solve World’s Energy Storage Problem

 

 photo by: grid energy storage

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are developing a new bionic blade that can catechumen activity from sunlight into an energy-dense fuel, assuming the photosynthetic action of plants. We’ve covered the bogus blade abstraction afore but abreast from application a air-conditioned new name (bionic blade sounds abundant acknowledgment than bogus leaf, right?) the Berkeley activity represents a new aberration on the technology that could advance to far greater efficiencies.

The Bogus Blade Concept

Whether you alarm it an bogus blade or a bionic leaf, the basal abstraction is almost simple. Instead of application a photovoltaic corpuscle to accomplish electricity anon from sunlight, you arrange a actinic acknowledgment that food solar activity in the anatomy of hydrogen, which you can again use in a hydrogen ammunition corpuscle to accomplish electricity.

Bionic blade address of Berkeley Lab.

That sunlight-to-hydrogen alternation agency you can abundance solar activity indefinitely, potentially in huge quantities, so anticipate of it as a affectionate of array and you’re on the appropriate track. The ammunition corpuscle affiliation agency that the alternate attributes of solar activity is not an issue, and neither is its attrition to mobility.

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Tesla Aims at Massive Lithium-Ion Battery Production

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Less than two weeks afterwards affliction an amend on its Gigafactory during its Feb. 19 balance call, Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) — a affluence electric automaker — this anniversary offered added accurate information, including a proposed aperture date: 2017.
Tesla affairs to breach arena this year and the aggregation hopes its branch will aftermath lithium-ion batteries for 500,000 cars by 2020. That achievement would be agnate to the absolute amount of lithium batteries produced common endure year.
The branch would abode a key affair that has bound the assembly of Tesla vehicles, as the aggregation has had to await on ally like Panasonic Corp.
“Packaged, manufactured, ready-to-go lithium beef are not in top affluence appropriate now,” said Reilly Brennan, controlling administrator of the Revs Automotive Research Program at Stanford University. “And with lithium-ion array facilities, there are not that abounding in the world.”

Germany First to Plan Battery System

 

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In what could be a abeyant gamechanger for added acceptance of renewable activity as a bigger basic of account grids, a ample modular array accumulator arrangement is planned for architecture after this year in Aachen, Germany.

The system, which is getting billed as the world’s aboriginal modular all-embracing array accumulator system, is alleged the Modular Multimegawatt, Multitechnology Medium-Voltage Array Accumulator Arrangement (M5BAT), and as its name suggests, isn’t comprised of a individual activity accumulator technology, but instead combines altered array technologies for optimal usability.

The M5BAT includes lithium-ion batteries for concise demand, high-temp batteries for ability accumulation over several hours, and lead-acid batteries for discharges of an hour or less.

This modular arrangement is getting congenital as a accord amid the E.ON Activity Research Center at RWTH Aachen University, E.ON electric account company, Exide and Beta Motion (battery manufacturers), and SMA Solar Technology AG (inverter manufacturer), and is getting backed with a €6.5 actor admission from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

read more: flywheel energy storage

Micro grid Expert to Assist Minnesota on CHP-Related Efforts

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Recognizing the amount of a accumulated calefaction and ability arrangement (CHP) in agreement of activity security, efficiency, and ecology preservation, Minnesota like added US states has been actively advancing CHP-related endeavors.
About three months ago, Minnesota has arrive abeyant providers to abide their requests for angle in band with its charge for a CHP stakeholder appointment facilitator and analysis specialist. Inputs from these experts will be acclimated to draw up specific activity affairs that will advice addition CHP arrangement use aural the state.
From a host of providers, the state’s Department of Commerce has afresh adopted Microgrid Institute to bear these requirements.
Microgrid’s ability lies in ambidextrous with and allegory adorning issues that accept abundant appulse on microgrids and broadcast energy.
As a facilitator for Minnesota’s CHP stakeholder conferences, its role is to conduct surveys, abstraction and assay analysis results, and abide accordant recommendations to the state. Aside from these, the close will aswell accommodate a database of stakeholder annal and a adapt for CHP training.
According to the firm’s Director, Mr. Michael Burr, Minnesota will absolutely account from the stakeholders assurance as this will advice the accompaniment analyze issues and set up priorities area CHP arrangement advance is concerned.
read more: cr2 lithium battery

All Eyes On Battery Storage Grid Parity

 photo by: rechargeable energy storage system

The spotlight is now on array accumulator and its abeyant for accomplishing what rooftop solar has done so far.

The accomplished years saw the growing amount of residential and bartering consumers who accept angry to rooftop solar systems in Germany. These consumers are now accomplishment the allowances as prices of ability from solar against that from the filigree accept become cheaper.

While some experts accept casting their doubts on array accumulator extensive filigree parity, there are others who acerb accept that this may be accurate in six years or less.

Morgans, an Australian investment accumulation cited that German households relying on the filigree pay about €0.30 per kwh. Meanwhile, households absorbed on solar ability systems are currently spending about €0.15 per kwh thereby acid down costs by half.

The abundant accumulation can be attributed to the German government’s austere efforts appear announcement solar PV and renewables in the country. It has even gone to the admeasurement of subsidizing activity accumulator costs by up to €3,000.

Data from German Trade and Invest somehow supports the altercation on filigree adequation as accepted trends in ability amount assume to advance to this. Cost of electricity is traveling up while that of solar PV is declining. Should array accumulator costs go down to US $0.27 per kwh or €0.20 per kwh, the admission to filigree adequation may one day be over.

Canadian Mine Site To Gain From Wind Energy With Storage

Canada’s better wind agent analysis activity to await on activity accumulator technologies – flywheel, battery, and hydrogen with hopes of acceptable wind penetration.

For the accomplished months, activity buyer Glencore has been alive on the accession of a 3-Megawatt, German-made wind agent in its Raglan mining site. Currently, the ability is wholly abased on agent for its ability requirements but already the agent is completed and operational, the aggregation hopes to cut agent burning initially by 5%.

The ability is nestled in the sub-arctic arena of Nunavik, Quebec. Based on beforehand studies conducted and accepted altitude in the area, wind activity could be the optimal renewable activity antecedent for the facility.

The added absorbing angle of the activity is the planned affiliation of the three accumulator technologies. While wind agent as a angle abandoned arrangement could bear bashful wind assimilation of 15%, accumulation accumulator systems could addition this akin to as abundant as 55%.

Glencore will conduct added tests to appraise if these accumulator solutions could bear acrid acclimate altitude in the area.

Glencore Director Francois-Jean Verret said that pilot tests present opportunities to brainwash cadre and to conduct accident profiling. He added recommended the acceptance of a “scaled approach” for agnate activity accumulator projects area the mining industry is involved.

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India’s Energy Storage Poor Benefit From Solar Microgrid

A analysis activity bartering activity through solar-based microgrid with accumulator systems helps boost active standards in one of India’s atomic villages.
Bihar is home to a amount of poor Indian villagers with little or no admission to reliable ability supply. However, anytime back Greenpeace and ally launched the activity in July in Bihar’s Dharnai village, its 2,400 association accept begin themselves adequate a bigger superior of life.
The solar-powered, 100 kW microgrid admiral added than 400 Dharnai households, bartering establishments, schools, and added basal facilities. According to Greenpeace, one of its requirements for putting up a microgrid ability is that the area should accept a mix of residential and bartering zones with absolute units that baby to the community’s social, educational, and healthcare needs.
Greenpeace acclaimed that added than 80 percent of India’s bankrupt families active in rural areas still bake copse or broiled beasts dung to aftermath ammunition for cooking. On the added hand, some 45 percent of this accumulation are after electricity and are accountable to accomplish do with kerosene lamps for lighting. Such alarming practices accept had adverse furnishings on the rural folks’ bloom and on a added macro level, on rural India’s over-all bread-and-butter health.
Fortunately for Dharnai, and hopefully for the blow of Bihar, a convalescent account ability still appear if Greenpeace continues to accompany added activity accumulator and microgrid projects for the state’s alone and energy-deprived populace.
read more: flywheel energy storage system

After Wind And Solar, Germany Looks To Hydrogen Storage

Advance in technology is paving the way for hydrogen activity accumulator and Germany is demography on this avenue afterwards dabbling in wind and solar.
Germany has a band up of about 20 analysis projects involving the use of electrolysis as a agency of bearing hydrogen which in about-face makes cyberbanking balance renewable activity possible.
The technology presents an advantage over added accumulator techniques in that Installation doesn’t affectation abundant of a challenge. Aswell its accommodation for captivation activity is absolutely high. The downside about lies in its low ability as added than bisected of the electricity is ashen in the process. Still, continuing improvements in technology and its appulse on costs accept fabricated electrolysis as an enabler for hydrogen storage.
Two arresting companies namely Siemens and Hydrogenics accept been accidental to these advancements.
German aggregation Siemens has developed the better proton barter film electrolyser that could acclimate to intermittencies of wind as able-bodied as solar. Currently, the aggregation is architecture the ability that will abode these accessories in Germany. The activity will be launched in 2015 and is accepted to accomplish about 650,000 kg of hydrogen annually.
Meanwhile, Hydrogenics which has accomplishment plants in Germany is aswell advancing up with a bunched electrolyser. It’s about one-tenth abate than acceptable acrid electrolyser, a affection which makes it simple to install and cheaper to manufacture.
As added innovations in electrolyser accessories are introduced, the over-all amount of employing hydrogen activity accumulator will tend to go down. Eventually this accumulator blazon would admeasurement up or even beat added accumulator options and Germany appears to accept so.
read more: battery energy storage system

Flow Battery Technology Uses Alkaline Solution to Start Up

An acceptable amount of activity accumulator firms are angled on analytic for solutions to the credible disability of breeze batteries to bear best allegation and acquittal cycles.

Generally, breeze array technologies all plan in abundant the aforementioned way. However, startup firm, ViZn Activity System’s breeze array technology is absolutely different in the faculty that it uses an alkaline-based band-aid instead of acid-based abstracts such as zinc, bromine, and vanadium, a part of others.

Vizn’s acrid band-aid was an adjunct of Lockheed Martin’s years of lab trials application acrid abstracts in array solutions to annihilate dendrite formations in its bankrupt batteries. Energy storage system is very popular in the market. While the closing succeeded in eliminating dendrites, new clump-like formations accept appeared on the electrodes assuming addition setback to array performance.

ViZn about saw that these “clumps” presented a different advantage for its breeze batteries. Through tests, it angry out that they access the apparent breadth area electrochemical reactions yield place. If this happens, ability from breeze batteries ramps up, authoritative it accessible to about-face rapidly to top ability if needed.

The aggregation has started to arrange its breeze array application an antecedent allotment of $20 million. Vizn believes it has the adequacy to attempt with added activity accumulator technologies, claiming that its alkaline-based breeze array can sustain 20,000 allegation and acquittal cycles. However, they will accept to prove this still on a all-embracing setting.

Swiss Giants are Going to Occupy International Energy Storage Market

ABB prepares for the advance role in the array accumulator scene, absorption on activity accumulator and micro filigree projects while accedence out of EPC initiatives forth the way.

ABB is a all-around behemothic accustomed by the account and industry area for its electronics and ability accumulator for grid, EV, and abyssal applications.

This week, Chief Operating Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer appear the company’s plan to position itself as the baton in array accumulator systems. Do you want to know about storage system? He said that micro grids, nano grids, and activity accumulator will yield centermost date as the aggregation archive its advance appear this goal.

The action is partly abiding on the growing bazaar for micro as able-bodied as nano grids. He said that the aggregation is aswell assertive for this accepted growth, eyeing regions like Africa and India for accompanying projects.

It has afresh teamed up with Chinese close BYD Co. Ltd., cyberbanking on the latter’s ability in array technology to advice it advance able accumulator solutions.

A year ago, it aswell bought Ability One, a U.S. aggregation accepted for its cord inverter products. The accretion enabled ABB to position itself as the world’s additional better provider of abundance inverters.

Meanwhile, affairs to bow out of its afflicted solar EPC business is already underway.

Taken as a whole, ABB’s contempo partnership, acquisition, avenue strategy, and added initiatives will advice it acreage the ascendant role it desires in the activity accumulator scene.

Solar Energy has a large threat to Utilities

U.S. households bearing their own electricity from solar aided with activity accumulator affectation a blackmail to utilities, an arising accuracy that could aching utilities if they appear unprepared.

A few months ago, Business Insider Singapore appear that Barclays gave a afflictive “Underweight” appraisement to electric utilities. The banking casework close justified that the area assume extemporaneous to yield on solar’s blackmail and this could eventually put a cavity on utilities’ acclaim profiles.

According to Barclays, the renewables area including solar has been accepting a lot of government abutment in the anatomy of subsidies. This has contributed to all-embracing assembly of solar PVs accretion 30,000 MW in 2013 from a simple 1,000 MW some 8 years ago. Energy storage system is very popular in the market. This amazing advance has in about-face led to leveling of prices of solar PVs.

With prices of solar already traveling down, the blackmail to utilities is even circuitous by array accumulator prices sliding to a akin of $3,700, down from $17,000 akin in just 5 years. Barclays says this could attempt added if Elon Musk goes abounding bang with its Li-ion gigafactory.

It is predicted that all those who accept been application solar in bike with activity accumulator systems will anon abbreviate their assurance on the grid, eventually affliction filigree revenue. As appeal for filigree electricity declines, costs will shoot up and activate a beachcomber of accouterment to solar. When this happens, utilities ability acquisition themselves accepting the atomic allotment of the appeal pie, accident out the bigger block to solar.

Energy Storage Promoting Solar Power Development

Experts accept it is about 2010 for activity storage, the year that saw amazing amount declines in solar PV systems.

Last September, a account commodity actualization in Renewable Activity World discussed why this is so.

The abode adumbrated that solar industry in the U.S. has apparent arresting advance over the endure four years and contempo statistics allege of this growth. As of March 2014, solar installations went up to 1,330 MW from a bashful 340 MW aback in 2010. Installation costs per watt additionally bigger to about $2.30 this year from $6.40 in 2010.

Costs of solar PVs accept bigger attributable to lower technology cost. Balance-of-System or BoS costs now comprise a ample block of PV arrangement prices. Experts apprehend that activity accumulator will bethink the solar PV amount scenario, pointing out that the amount of Li-ion array technology has been traveling down to reasonable levels.

However, experts agenda that Li-ion array amount abatement abandoned will not suffice.

U.S close Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) created the Array BoS affairs which aims to delving into BoS costs and abode accompanying issues. It affairs to undertake these with assorted industry players.

Based on absolute interviews with utilities, regulators, and added key players in the broadcast accumulator landscape, added than 60 percent of the amount to install residential-type accumulator systems are eaten up by BoS. An even greater percentage, added than 70 percent, was acclaimed for the non-residential sector, the commodity explains.

According to the news, the aggregation envisions states beyond the U.S. axis to renewable microgrids with activity accumulator systems for their ability requirements. To accomplish this, RMI stresses the accent of bringing BoS costs down so that the technology could be implemented on a beyond scale.