battery

WoodMac looks back at the storage industry in simpler, long-ago times — eight weeks ago.

MIT scientists have suggested that used electric vehicle batteries could offer a more viable business case than purpose-built systems for the storage of grid-scale solar power in California. Such ‘second life’ EV batteries, may cost only 60% of their original purchase price to deploy and can be effectively aggregated for industrial scale storage even if they have declined to 80% of their original capacity.

A German-Israeli research group has gathered to discuss which storage technologies may outperform lithium-ion batteries in the future. They concluded that there is no such a thing as a “post Li‐ion” era in sight. They recommended a “side‐by‐side” approach for multiple technologies in different applications, as well as the hybridization of technologies.

The holy grail of energy storage has always been low-cost and long-duration. Form Energy intends on deploying a 1 MW/150 MWh system with a Minnesota utility before 2023, an unprecedented energy storage duration if successful.

Even though the U.S. market is showing some signs of stabilizing, the decline in installation rates in April alone was 33%.

Also in the brief: Chinese EV startup Nio has secured a $1 billion investment, Kore Power has entered into a strategic partnership with ELM FieldSight, Nautilus Solar Energy has closed on a $90 million debt financing agreement and more.

Also in the brief: Tesla’s Q Con virtual power plant presentation, the University of Arkansas’ solar design contest, M&A during the pandemic, dodecahedrons and more

The funding was led by an existing investor of FreeWire, BP, and will allow the company to commercialize its upcoming Boost EV Charger, as well as expand operations across the United States and into Europe.

The world’s biggest battery is now rated at 150 MW/193.5 MWh and dwarfs any lithium-ion battery system in operation worldwide.

Solar lags, at least in part, because the major components of panels — glass and silicon — while highly recyclable, are not as valuable as the lithium, cobalt and nickel in batteries.