Eskom runs South Africa’s electricity grid including this substation in Northern Cape. Image: Eskom.

South Africa’s grid operator Eskom has issued a procurement notice for two grid-scale battery projects totalling 36MW/146MWh of energy storage, while the state-owned company’s CEO resigned this week.

The state-owned organisation is seeking companies to design, build, commission and operate battery energy storage systems (BESS) totalling 35MW/140MWh at its Melkhout substations (Lot A) and 1.54MW/6.16MWh system plus 2.04MW solar PV at its Mier substation (Lot B).

The Lots, which were first announced in March this year but with a specific procurement notice issued 1 December, include five years of operation.

The procurement is part of a first phase of BESS procurements by Eskom totalling around 800MWh of energy storage plus 2MW PV, previously reported on by Energy-Storage.news. A portion of that has already been awarded and winning company Hyosung Heavy Industries started building its awarded projects last week.

Phase one will total US$406 million of investment from Eskom while phase two, whose value has not been disclosed yet, will see another roughly 640MWh and 60MW PV installed.

The two projects updated on 1 March will be financed by the Ivory Coast-headquartered African Development Bank (ADB) and the Shanghai-based New Development Bank, the latter founded by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The process will be governed by procurement regulations from the World Bank.

Pre-bid clarification meetings for both Lots will be held on 18 January, 2023, with site meetings a week later. Bids for both must be delivered by 10 am South African Standard Time (SAST) on Wednesday, 01 March 2023.

The BESS units must have an availability or uptime of 95% of the reporting period.

The standalone BESS project procurements are in addition to around 430MWh/1300MWh of storage paired with renewable energy projects that won part of a 2GW tender through its Eskom’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Programme (RMIPPP). Norwegian company Scatec started work on its winning projects recently too.

In related news, Eskom announced the resignation of CEO André de Ruyter from the organisation yesterday (14 December), its 11th CEO in a decade. The grid operator has struggled to meet electricity demand in South Africa without widespread and numerous outages for years.

Alongside increasing its share of renewable energy, BESS additions like these are being brought in to shore up resiliency and reduce costs.

Browse the full-length RFP document for the two BESS projects, from Eskom’s website, below.

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Moxion Power’s MP-75/600 BESS. Image: BusinessWire.

Amazon Studios has begun swapping out diesel generators for mobile battery energy storage system (BESS) equipment at sets for its TV and film productions in the US.

The entertainment production arm of the global e-commerce giant said yesterday that it is using mobile BESS units produced by US-headquartered startup Moxion Power on the sets of a romantic comedy film and a police procedural drama series currently being filmed.

Next year it will expand that to further Amazon Studio production sets. Amazon said that as well as being non-polluting and quieter to use than diesel generators, BESS units have several other technically superior characteristics.

They are easier to operate, and their use saves on fuel costs and refuelling and maintenance logistics. They also do not take time to warm up or cool down before and after use and are safe for indoor use, the company said.

Amazon is an investor in the power-as-a-service company, which raised US$10 million in a 2021 Series A funding round, and then US$100 million in a Series B that closed in September.

Other investors include Microsoft, sustainable infrastructure investor Energy Impact Partners and Sunbelt Rentals, an equipment and tools rental company that offers power management solutions in its range.

At the time Energy-Storage.news reported the Series B’s closing, there was little to no detail on Moxion’s website of the company’s technical solutions and offerings.

That remains the case, but Moxion is known to be building its first manufacturing facility in California and targeting ramp up to 7GWh of annual production capacity from that and a second factory it wants to open by 2024.

According to figures quoted by Amazon in a press release and provided by Sustainable Production Alliance, a consortium of major visual entertainment companies, consumption of fossil fuels to power sets and transportation together account for around half of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the average movie production.

It’s an interesting parallel to the origin story of another California-headquartered battery storage company, SimpliPhi Power, which actually originated as a power solutions company to the TV and film industry and has since diversified to serve the residential, microgrid and small commercial BESS market with its own lithium iron phosphate (LFP) systems.

SimpliPhi was acquired last year by engine and portable generator company Briggs & Stratton.

Meanwhile, the mobile BESS provider landscape appears to be growing in the US and elsewhere. US battery cell and system manufacturing startup KORE Power recently launched its own mobile BESS subsidiary, called Nomad Transportable Power Systems, among others. It was formed through a joint venture (JV) with system integrator Northern Reliability, which KORE Power later acquired.

Meanwhile in Europe, Dutch company Greener Power Solutions has been making and renting out mobile units for some time, including powering music festivals, work to upgrade transmission and distribution lines and connecting them to wind farms for a utility which then took the stored power to sites where it was needed.

It is being joined in the European market for mobile BESS solutions by newcomers, like Northvolt, the Swedish lithium battery gigafactory startup.

Moxion BESS approved for California incentive scheme

Earlier this week, Moxion announced that its MP-75/600 BESS product has been approved for a California subsidy programme supporting the sales and use of zero emissions off-road equipment.

The 600kWh unit features a proprietary battery module design, along with what the company claimed is cutting-edge inverter tech.

The US$125 million state incentive programme is called Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE) offering point-of-sale cash rebates for purchases of low-emissions equipment.

Applicable industries might include construction sites, agricultural facilities, freight, marine and others, with what Moxion described as a “significant portion” of capital costs for equipment covered by it.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 5th Energy Storage Summit USA, 28-29 March 2023 in Austin, Texas. Featuring a packed programme of panels, presentations and fireside chats from industry leaders focusing on accelerating the market for energy storage across the country. For more information, go to the website.

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Matt Neumann

SunVest Solar LLC, an independent, vertically integrated solar business, has closed a $113 million debt facility led by Silicon Valley Bank and $41 million of tax equity from Rockwood Group, through its partnership with Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.

The facility will support the construction and operation of a 56 MW portfolio of solar projects in Illinois, Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Construction will take place on a staged basis throughout 2023, with construction already under way at 10 projects across all four states. The portfolio will be owned and operated by SunVest and represents the largest portfolio it has developed and constructed since its inception in 2009.

Customers purchasing power from the projects include a regulated utility under long-term power purchase agreement, as well as community solar subscriptions from a variety of commercial and residential customers. The various geographies and revenue structures of the projects create significant diversification for the portfolio.

The senior debt financing is led by Silicon Valley Bank, and is comprised of a construction loan, tax equity bridge loan and permanent loan. The facility, along with tax equity from Rockwood Group, through its partnership with Fortune 250 Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, will enable SunVest to fully construct, operate and own the portfolio under a subsidiary.

“We are delighted to work with SunVest to provide financing for this portfolio,” says Bret Turner, Head of project finance, business development and innovation for Silicon Valley Bank. “We are committed to supporting high-quality projects in the rapidly growing community solar space, which makes solar more accessible for all Americans and is crucial in efforts to combat climate change. The community solar subscriptions and PPA opportunities in SunVest’s portfolio offer customers an easy way to participate in the benefits of solar energy.”

“Silicon Valley Bank has been an outstanding partner for SunVest as we have worked together to advance this diverse, national portfolio,” adds Matt Neumann, CEO of SunVest. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Silicon Valley Bank as SunVest continues to rapidly grow our portfolio of owned and operated solar projects nationwide.”

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One of the energy storage systems in Germany. Image: Kyon Energy.

Developer Kyon Energy, investor Obton and system integrator ECO STOR have commissioned 27.6MW/32.4MWh of battery storage across two sites in Germany.

The two projects were built in Bad Düben and Elsteraue, both in the eastern state of Saxony. Kyon said the projects would provide ‘control power’ to help stabilise the German grid as it moves towards 80% renewable energy by 2030.

“Already today, local overloads of the grid infrastructure occur on sunny or windy days. In addition, volatile generation leads to high price fluctuations. These developments will intensify with the further expansion of renewable energies. Our projects contribute to a sustainable and independent energy transition by counteracting volatility and grid congestion,” said Florian Antwerpen, CEO of Kyon Energy.

The Bad Düben unit is a 13.8MW/16MW system according to ECO STOR’s own energy storage monitor and, although the Elsteraue isn’t accounted for, the total deployment indicates it is nearly identical in size.

The projects were financed by Obton, developed by Kyon Energy and built by ECO STOR, both of which Energy-Storage.news has interviewed this year. They are Obton’s first battery storage projects in Germany, and ECO STOR says it is the main owner and operator of the Bad Düben system, through Obton Storage GmbH.

“We support the energy transition away from fossil fuels and see battery storage as a key component of this green transformation, bringing more renewable energy to the grid. With this investment, we hope to gain valuable insights that can benefit some of our existing and future solar installations by combining them with battery storage,” said Rune Holmgaard-Poulsen, senior specialist at Obton.

ECO STOR’s monitor pegs Germany’s utility-scale battery energy storage online today at around 700MW. Well over 200MW of that has come online in 2022, just based on projects that Energy-Storage.news has reported on – see all coverage of the German market here.

Like most markets, BESS projects are in the long-term moving to trading more energy on electricity markets and away from solely providing grid frequency response services. However, we haven’t yet seen a significant move up in hourly durations in the German market, whereas the US, UK, Italy and to a lesser extent the rest of Western Europe are doing so to different degrees.

Even projects in hundreds of MW range announced very recently like Fluence’s 250MW/250MWh grid booster for transmission system operator Transnet and RWE’s 140MW and 80MW projects have made no indication of designing systems for durations substantially over an hour.

ECO STOR has developed the 3.5MW/4MWh “ES-3450” battery storage product and deployed it in seven projects with cumulative deployments of 108MWh in 2022. It is scaling its project sizes and expects to commission a 100MW/200MWh system in 2024.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the eighth annual Energy Storage Summit EU in London, 22-23 February 2023. This year it is moving to a larger venue, bringing together Europe’s leading investors, policymakers, developers, utilities, energy buyers and service providers all in one place. Visit the official site for more info.

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Inside RWE’s 60MW BESS project in County Monaghan, Ireland. Image: RWE / Shane O’Neill, Coalesce

RWE has unveiled plans for an up to 600MW solar development on land in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, in northern England in the UK.

The Tween Bridge Solar Farm will include battery energy storage on site, and will be located next to the operational Tween Bridge onshore Wind Farm. As such, the solar and storage development will not require additional overhead power lines or other network infrastructure, the company noted.

”Solar in combination with battery storage fits well into RWE’s UK development portfolio, where we already generate 15% of the country’s energy needs,” said Katja Wünschel, CEO onshore wind and solar Europe & Australia of RWE Renewables.

“Our strategy is geared towards sustainability and the vigorous expansion of large-scale solar will be part of these ambitions.”

Having gained a capacity agreement with National Grid and submitted the project’s environmental scoping report to the Planning Inspectorate, RWE will now undertake detailed environmental surveys.

To read the full version of this story, visit Solar Power Portal.

Energy-Storage.news’ publisher Solar Media will host the 8th annual Energy Storage Summit EU in London, 22-23 February 2023. This year it is moving to a larger venue, bringing together Europe’s leading investors, policymakers, developers, utilities, energy buyers and service providers all in one place. Visit the official site for more info.

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The project aims to transform stretches of desert near the Red Sea coast into a sustainable business, tourism and residential development. Image: Neom.

During the first China-Arab States Summit last week, Sungrow signed a battery storage supply agreement for Neom, Saudi Arabia’s new ‘smart city’ megadevelopment.

The summit on 9 December, attended by Chinese premier Xi Jinping and leaders of 21 Arab League countries, aimed to reinforce ties between the nations and increase cooperation in areas including economic development and building links between communities.

Its outcome included Chinese and Saudi Arabian and Saudi organisations signing 34 agreements for various energy, security, investment, and other initiatives.

PV inverter manufacturer and battery storage system manufacturer-integrator Sungrow signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia-headquartered developer ACWA Power for supply of a 536MW/600MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

The Neom smart city project is being built in northwestern Saudi Arabia at a reported cost of more than US$500 billion, as part of the country’s Saudi Vision 2030, which emphasises economic and social diversification away from dependence on fossil fuels.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund sovereign wealth fund, it is promised to be a 100% renewable energy-powered major city serving as both a liveable space and tourist destination.

The MoU builds on a longstanding relationship between ACWA Power and Sungrow. It was one of 13 deals or agreements the developer signed with Chinese entities during or around the Summit, building on a claimed US$10 billion of projects ACWA has worked with Chinese companies on since it opened offices in Beijing in 2009.

Other MoUs ACWA Power signed last week were with solar PV manufacturers Jinko Solar and Jolywood, China Southern Power Grid International, banks Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Bank of China, a hydroelectric power company and others.

Sungrow’s Neom deal is roughly half the size of fellow Chinese company Huawei’s BESS supply deal for another major ACWA Power project in Saudi Arabia.

Huawei will provide a 1,300MWh BESS for the Red Sea Project, a new sustainable tourism destination which is also part of Saudi Vision 2030, and for which ACWA has been contracted as developer of energy solutions.

That deal was signed by Huawei Digital Power and EPC contractor SEPCO III, with the project also set to include 400MW of solar PV, as reported by Energy-Storage.news in October 2021. A US$1.3 billion debt facility for the Red Sea Project was closed in February this year.

Sungrow meanwhile said the Neom MoU builds on a successful track record for the company in delivering PV and solar-plus-storage projects in the Middle East including work on Sudair, a 1.6GW PV plant in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this week, Energy-Storage.news reported that Sungrow will supply a 638MWh DC-coupled BESS solution to a solar PV plant in Chile for Engie’s regional subsidiary. The manufacturer has recently launched its latest iteration of grid-scale and industrial liquid cooled BESS solutions.    

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Shaun Keegan

Enhanced Capital, an impact investing firm with over 20 years of investment experience, and Crossroads Impact Corp., have funded a development capital investment in Solar Landscape, which has completed over 100 solar projects in New Jersey totaling over 115 MW. Funding provided by Enhanced Capital is supporting a 50.5 MW DC community solar portfolio that will produce over 50 million kWh annually.

Through its Climate Finance strategy, Enhanced Capital supports carbon mitigation and the transition to a clean energy economy by investing in small businesses and sustainable infrastructure projects throughout the U.S. The firm applies a thematic framework to generate positive, measurable impact alongside a financial return.

“Enhanced Capital focuses on providing capital to businesses and market segments that generate measurable community impact. So, in conjunction with flexible lending products, Enhanced Capital’s investments utilize a number of state and federal tax credits,” says Michael Korengold, president and CEO of Enhanced Capital. “Our experience pairing tax credits and private capital gives us an effective playbook to support a clean energy economy and projects supporting wind energy, microgrids, EV infrastructure, carbon capture and battery storage while generating risk-adjusted returns.”

The investment will help Solar Landscape further expand its portfolio of roof-mounted systems in New Jersey’s community solar program, which is focused on delivering economic benefits to low- and moderate-income New Jersey residents. Solar Landscape’s latest community solar portfolio is made up of 46 solar installations on commercial warehouse rooftops across the state and is the largest community solar portfolio in New Jersey to date.

“This Solar Landscape portfolio is expected to produce almost 50 million kWh of zero-emission electricity by next year for low-income communities in New Jersey,” says Ed Rossier, managing director and head of climate finance. “This expansion makes Solar Landscape’s New Jersey community solar footprint one of the nation’s largest clean energy portfolios specifically designated for low- and moderate-income households and will drive down their utility costs by 20 percent on average.”

Enhanced Capital has invested in multiple transactions in proprietary and non-advisory client assets in Solar Landscape since 2020.

“New Jersey is leading the nation in connecting community solar to clean energy equity, and financing is an important part of that connection,” states Solar Landscape CEO Shaun Keegan. “Enhanced Capital’s Climate Finance strategy is focused on supporting sectors like community solar that bring tangible benefits to communities, empower commercial real estate leaders to meet their ESG goals, and help us transition to net zero. We look forward to bringing these benefits to thousands of residents here in New Jersey and soon to even more nationwide.”

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Osage’s manufacturing plant

The new solar field at Valent BioSciences’ manufacturing facility in Osage, Iowa, is now fully operational. Testing over the past several weeks confirmed that the solar field is functioning as it was intended, which will enable it to produce about 3.4 million kWh of solar-generated electricity annually.

Work on the 1.5 MW AC solar field began in August and was completed on time with the assistance of OneEnergy Renewables and Heartland Power Cooperative. The solar field includes 3,432 bifacial solar panels that produce power from both sides of the panel and also track the sun from east to west. It is situated on 12 acres of Valent BioSciences land adjacent to the manufacturing facility and also adjoins 34 acres of native prairie that the company began reconstructing earlier this year.

“The solar field and prairie reconstruction work expand our sustainability activities at the manufacturing site,” says Brian Lynch, Valent BioSciences’ Osage facility manager. “These two projects together will eliminate 2,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the environment annually. We are proud of these projects, which would not have been possible without the support of our many partners, who include OneEnergy Renewables, Heartland Power Cooperative, the City of Osage, the Mitchell County Conservation Board and other local organizations.”

Valent BioSciences, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., develops, manufactures and commercializes biorational products with sales in 95 countries.

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Another Nexamp project, Newfield Solar in Newfield, N.Y.

Nexamp is developing seven new shared solar projects in Hawaii – three on Hawaii Island, three on Maui and one on Oahu. These projects are part of Hawaiian Electric’s community-based renewable energy (CBRE) program that helps lower electricity costs for low- and moderate-income (LMI) subscribers who are unable to install rooftop solar.

Hawaiian Electric conducted a competitive bidding process and reviewed proposals from a number of solar and storage developers, selecting Nexamp exclusively to build, own and operate the first round of projects.

“Getting these projects approved is a milestone that reflects the hard work of our entire team to create solutions that address the needs of the communities in which we operate,” says Chris Clark, chief development officer at Nexamp. “Our commitment to accessibility shapes everything we do, from enrolling subscribers to providing economic and employment opportunities. Each of our hundreds of successful projects around the country represents a long-term commitment to the people and businesses of the community.”

The seven solar farms will be the first of their kind under the CBRE program on each island and are expected to be operational by the end of 2025. Kalaoa Solar A and B on Hawaii Island are each 4.3 MW DC (3 MW AC) solar and 13.7 MWh storage. Nā’ālehu Solar, also on Hawaii Island, is a 4.2 MW DC (3 MW AC) solar and 13.7 MWh storage farm. On Maui, Līpoa Solar is 4.2 MW DC (3 MW AC) solar and 13.7 MWh storage, Makawao Solar is 3.5 MW DC (2.5 MW AC) solar and 10.9 MWh storage, and Pi’iholo Road Solar is 3.5 MW DC (2.5 MW AC) solar and 10.9 MWh storage. On Oahu, co-developed with Melink Solar, Kaukonahua Solar is a 7.8 MW DC (6 MW AC) solar farm.

Community solar, or shared solar, enables any resident to subscribe to a solar farm and receive credits on their monthly utility bill that help to reduce their annual electric costs. These specific shared solar farms are reserved exclusively for low- and moderate-income subscribers, ensuring that those who qualify will benefit from the savings of shared solar. Many are renters or apartment dwellers and do not have access to privately owned rooftop solar.

“In addition to bringing savings to those who need them most, these projects will channel new federal funding to Hawaii provided by the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act and help the state further its goal of reducing its dependence on fossil fuels,” adds Clark. “The unique ecological nature and island geography of Hawaii makes this work all the more important as a step in ensuring a clean and sustainable future for the next generation. We look forward to getting started.”

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Potomac Edison EV chargers at the project site. Image: Potomac Edison.

South Korea’s KEPCO trials vanadium flow batteries at R&D centre

South Korea’s largest electric utility will try out seven vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) energy storage systems made by Invinity Energy Systems.

The 1.5MWh deal was announced yesterday by Anglo-American flow battery company Invinity, which said Korea’s Hyosung Heavy Industries, part of the Hyosung Group conglomerate, has put in the order.

Electrical equipment manufacturer Hyosung’s energy storage division has been contracted for or delivered battery projects in various territories, including South Africa and the UK, and will be putting the flow battery systems at a Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) R&D center.

The deal follows the signing in April of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Invinity and Hyosung Heavy Industries to collaborate on commercialising the flow battery technology in South Korea and international markets.    

The VRFBs will be installed at the KEPCO facility in Naju City, where the utility will gather performance data. Depending on how that goes, KEPCO could qualify the devices for wider use and Invinity said it could lead to grid-scale project opportunities with both KEPCO and Hyosung.

Initial payments will be made this year and commissioning should be completed by mid-way through 2023, according to Invinity.

US grid-scale battery storage developer Key Capture Energy has become the latest player in the market to launch its own energy bidding software tool for wholesale market trades.

Like Tesla’s Autobidder or Wartsila’s Intellibidder, the product, called MarketCapture, the tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) and market and system data to make smart decisions on which energy trades to make and places bids.

Now fully operational and being deployed by the company for its own and third-party projects in Texas’ booming ERCOT market, Key Capture Energy plans to have it in use in the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) market early next year and then roll it out further across the US.

MarketCapture is suitable for day ahead bidding applications and comes with real-time bidding and optimisation capabilities at 5-minute intervals. Real-time bidding and optimisation are powered by the WattBot web-based electricity monitoring platform.

Key Capture Energy claimed it is fully automated to provide reporting on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, which can be measured against a “100% perfect forecast knowledge metric,” and is updated with accurate market intelligence including price trends and asset performance.

“By showcasing how this AI-driven optimisation tool performs in the high stakes and challenging ERCOT market, Key Capture Energy is setting a bold standard for energy storage asset optimization forecasting and demonstrating the full potential for renewable energy projects in ensuring a reliable and resilient energy grid,” Key Capture Energy CEO Jeff Bishop said.

Bishop has been vocal in past interviews with Energy-Storage.news on the growing importance of smart software for battery storage and in particular the need to have in-house software and digital expertise. Yesterday the company said the development of MarketCapture and its integration with WattBot comes after two years of focus by its software teams.

Key Capture Energy, which tends to conduct an owner-operator business model, has 380MW of Texas projects in operation.

Maryland utility completes first BESS under state pilot programme

US utility company Potomac Edison has completed its first battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Maryland, under a state energy storage pilot programme.

Potomac Edison will own and operate the 500kW BESS, which is integrated with electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities in Maryland’s Frederick County.

Announcing its completion yesterday, the utility will study how the system can enable the site’s two DC fast-charge units and a Level 2 charging station to reliably deliver power to EVs without straining the grid. It will lower the chargers’ grid use at peak times and ensure their uninterrupted use.

It will soon be joined by another BESS project Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of listed electric utility holding company FirstEnergy Corp, proposed to Maryland regulators through the Energy Storage Pilot Program established after Governor Lawrence Hogan signed it into law in 2019.

Each of the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOU) was ordered to solicit offers to build energy storage projects and then put them up for approval by the regulatory Maryland Public Service Commission. Potomac Edison’s two projects were given approval in May 2021, as reported by Energy-Storage.news.

As noted in a 2020 interview with then-CEO of the national Energy Storage Association Kelly Speakes-Backman, herself a Maryland native and a former state commissioner, the programme is notable for not only assessing the technology involved in storing energy, but also in exploring different applications and ownership models.

Potomac Edison’s next BESS project is a 1.75MW system in Allegany County, which will provide backup power to a small town and expected to be in service in 2024. The utility has about 420,000 customers, mostly in Maryland with a few in parts of West Virginia.

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