Used EV batteries are storing solar power at grid scale — and making money at it

In a parched corner of the Mojave Desert, car batteries are at the center of a revolution.

Instead of fading into obsolescence when they retire from propelling zero-emission Nissan Leafs, these battery packs now work together to store California solar power and discharge it in the evening when the grid needs it most.

That’s something that energy futurists talk about as a potential breakthrough, something the state of California disburses millions of dollars to research and demonstrate. But B2U Storage Solutions, the developer and owner of the Lancaster project, has been doing it for over a year, and making money at it, too

Georgia Power’s first 65MW / 260MWh build, own, operate battery storage project approved

US utility company Georgia Power has approval from regulator Georgia Public Service Commission (PCS) for the first project in its 80MW portfolio of ‘build, own, operate’ standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS). 

The company said yesterday that approval has been granted for Mossy Branch Battery Facility, a 65MW / 260MWh asset which will be charged with electricity from the grid. Georgia Power has appointed Wärtsilä as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner to the project.

Battery recycling firm Li-Cycle nets $100 million investment from Koch Industries subsidiary

Lithium-ion battery recycling firm Li-Cycle announced a $100 million investment from Koch Investments Group, an investment partner subsidiary of fossil fuel giant Koch Industries. 

The investment, made through a convertible note, will support Toronto-based Li-Cycle’s expansion in North America, Europe and Asia. The investment could also include opportunities to partner on engineering and construction services, optimized process design and new commercial facilities. 

Southern, Duke, PJM, others call for more transmission, coordination to handle renewables surge

Eastern Interconnection grid operators and planners including Southern Co., Duke Energy and the PJM Interconnection called for more transmission and coordination to help meet renewable energy goals in a white paper released Tuesday.

Large amounts of renewables make the grid more complex to operate compared with traditional power plants and complicate the transmission planning process, the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC) said in the white paper, Planning the Grid for a Renewable Future.

North Carolina to mandate 70% cut in electricity CO2 emissions by 2030

The bipartisan compromise bill includes bold targets and regional firsts, but critics say it’s too lax on Duke Energy.

North Carolina lawmakers have reached a bipartisan compromise on a sprawling energy bill that would set the state’s first-ever targets for cutting electricity-sector carbon emissions. The goal will be to bring emissions down 70 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. That has been a key demand of Gov. Roy Cooper (D) in his fight with the Republican-dominated state legislature over the state’s energy future. 

ESS, SB Energy reach major deal for flow battery technology with 2 GWh agreement

SB Energy, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group, reached an agreement to purchase 2 GWh of iron flow energy storage from Oregon-based ESS — a major deal for the emerging technology.

In the deal, SB Energy will deploy iron flow battery systems to complement solar power projects in Texas and California through 2026. The first system has already been delivered to a solar generation site in Davis, Calif. and will be installed this month.

Global Energy Storage Industry Primed to Treble Annual Installations by 2030 Despite Tightening Supply of Li-ion Batteries, IHS Markit Says

Energy storage market’s rapid expansion is underpinned by ambitious government targets

The global energy storage market continues to prove resilient to the impacts of COVID-19 and supply constraints for Li-ion batteries and will enter a prolonged period of growth this year, with annual installations reaching more than 30 GW by 2030 – up 250% from 2021 levels – according to the latest report from the Clean Energy Technology service at IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

IHS Markit forecasts that the energy storage industry will experience rapid growth in 2021, with installations reaching over 12 GW – an increase of over 7 GW from 2020. This will mark the start of a period of continued expansion, with annual global installations set to exceed 20 GW in 2024 and 30 GW by 2030.

Key Capture Energy places 390MW BESS order with Sungrow

A 390MW order for Sungrow’s battery energy storage system (BESS) equipment has been booked by US energy storage project developer, owner and operator Key Capture Energy (KCE). 

The deal is for projects set to begin construction during this year and into 2022. Sungrow Americas, the regional subsidiary of China-headquartered global leading PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow, will supply fully integrated BESS solutions including battery cells, enclosures, transformers, power conversion system (PCS) and software and controls. 

New York City needs a lot of EV chargers. How can its power grid support them all?

Startup Revel’s Brooklyn superhub is the first of many charging centers NYC will need to meet its EV goals. Can it be replicated at scale?

For New York City to have any chance of fulfilling its ambitious electric vehicle plans, it’s going to need a lot more EV-charging sites like Revel’s ​“superhub.” Located in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, the superhub has 25 fast chargers — the most universally usable high-speed chargers at any single site in the nation, according to Paul Suhey, Revel’s co-founder and head of rideshare and EV. 

But how will charging sites like these find enough power on the already-congested grid that serves the country’s most densely populated major city?

Arizona utility SRP brings online 25MW / 100MWh Tesla Megapack battery storage project

A 25MW four-hour (100MWh) battery storage project has been connected to the grid by Arizona utility company Salt River Project (SRP).

SRP said last week that the project at its Bolster substation is currently the biggest standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) in the southwestern US state, sited adjacent to the utility’s 626MW Agua Fria Generating Station thermal power plant in the City of Peoria.