Solar Energy Storage and Battery News

Philippines utility Meralco has sunk PHP424 million (US$8.2 million) of equity funding into its renewables subsidiary, MGreen, to support 210MW of solar projects.

According to figures from Italian renewables body ANIE Rinnovabili, 18,036 storage systems coupled to clean energy power generation have been installed in the country. Most of the batteries are in Lombardy, whose administration offers rebates.

Vietnamese firm Da Nhim–Ham Thuan–Da Mi (DHD), a subsidiary of national utility EVN, has bagged a US$37 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a 47.5MW floating solar project that is claimed to be the first and largest such project in the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam plans to reduce feed-in tariff (FiT) rates for ground-mount and floating PV after solar capacity deployment exceeded expectations under the original subsidy by a factor of five.

A contracted 32MW solar-plus-storage project just north of Chad’s capital N'Djaména is one step closer to fruition after the African Development Bank (AfDB) provided it with an €18 million (US$19.6 million) loan with a partial risk guarantee.

The solar park will be connected to the Soma substation, a piece of grid infrastructure expected to increase electricity access in the country to 60%. The project will add to 30 MW of other solar facilities under development in the West African nation.

A report by the Powering Peace organization states UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo could reduce expense and pollution by using off-grid solar to power operations instead of diesel generators. Adding a 200 kW solar system with 200 kW/450 kWh of energy storage would reduce diesel consumption 80% for 10-year savings of almost $2.6 million, states the group.

The US state of California has witnessed yet another claim of ultra-low solar prices, recorded in the context of a major contracting exercise by a community energy group.

California has hit a significant milestone this year: more than one million rooftop solar installations on homes, schools, businesses, and farms. With California leading the way, the U.S. reached two million installations this year.

The devices, developed by a European research team, are said to have twice the energy density of conventional aluminum devices. The scientists used a cathode made of anthraquinone, instead of one based on graphene, increasing energy density.

A 6 MW solar plant and 5 MW/2.5 MWh storage system are set to increase the share of renewable electricity on the Pacific island of Nauru from 3% to 47%. The $27 million project is being supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Solar developer CalCom Energy has put forward a new US$100 million fund to help build solar and energy storage projects to benefit farming communities in California.

The Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority has published draft guidelines for the integration of storage in the energy system. The new provisions are expected to come into force at the beginning of next year.

The U.K. province’s grid operator SONI has announced a £500 million plan to prepare the network for an almost fully renewable electricity system within just five years. Despite the U.K. being seemingly paralyzed by Brexit, the network operator says it can already cope with 65% clean energy in the mix.

The International Renewable Energy Association says the integration of hydrogen into the energy transition will not happen overnight and electrolysis costs will not be halved until the 2040s. That hydrogen and related products could revolutionize the world energy landscape, however, is not in doubt.