ESS Inc., a manufacturer of long-duration iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications, has completed the installation of a microgrid project including an ESS Energy Warehouse system at an industrial recycling facility in West Grove, Pa. The project was developed by TerraSol Energies Inc., a developer and operator of turnkey solar and storage solutions for commercial customers.

“This ribbon-cutting represents a key milestone in our partnership with ESS that will deliver an environmentally friendly solution to rising electricity costs and peak demand charges, and ensure reliable, clean energy for our customer, Sycamore International,” states Dave Santoleri, president of TerraSol Energies.

The ESS Energy Warehouse will be integrated with a 115 kW DC solar array to form a microgrid which will reduce peak electricity demand and provide back-up at Sycamore International, a technology recycling company. The project was showcased at a ribbon-cutting event at the Sycamore International industrial recycling facility, with attendees including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06).

“ESS is proud to partner with TerraSol Energies and Sycamore International to meet the needs of an industrial operation with our safe and non-toxic iron flow battery systems,” mentions Eric Dresselhuys, CEO of ESS. “Our long-duration storage technology makes it possible to deliver clean energy 24/7 for the uninterrupted operation of critical facilities. ESS technology will play a critical role in building a resilient and decarbonized energy system and this project demonstrates the value that iron flow technology can deliver.”

“This project represents the kind of forward-thinking solution we need to build a decarbonized, resilient energy system,” says Rep. Houlahan. “Southeastern Pennsylvania is home to some of the most cutting-edge businesses in the country and even the world. I’m proud, and not surprised, to see a local business leading the way with innovative energy storage technology and solar, all while providing jobs and opportunity right here in Chester County. On the heels of passing historic energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, I was thrilled to talk about how these paid-for investments will boost American manufacturing and save consumers money on their energy costs.”

“Through collaboration with TerraSol, we identified ESS’s sustainable, American-made energy storage technology as the best solution on the market to achieve our climate and business operations goals,” says Steve Figgatt, CEO of Sycamore International. “This solar and energy storage microgrid delivers backup power when needed to keep our facility fully operational, has a very reasonable return on the capital investment through both electricity production and peak load shaving, and enables our facility to operate comfortably with a net-zero carbon footprint.”

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Blake Richetta

sonnen, a smart residential energy storage company, and solar contractor ES Solar are expanding Rocky Mountain Power’s (RMP) Wattsmart Battery Program across Utah and, more recently, into Idaho. As it scales its business development organization and regional footprint, ES Solar is expected to bring up to 35 MWh of grid-interactive battery capacity online in 2022 via the Wattsmart program.

As it moves beyond its proof-of-concept phase, ES Solar is experiencing exponential growth with over 6 MWh of monthly sonnen energy storage sales in Utah and Idaho, attributed to the Wattsmart program. In recent years, Rocky Mountain Power has gradually ended its solar net metering subsidy to shift focus toward replacing solar alone with solar + energy storage with the Wattsmart Battery Program, a pro-community and pro-grid business model which other solar contractors have struggled to adapt to. By implementing this new model, ES Solar and sonnen are enabling the renewable energy transition by helping build the largest network of utility dispatched smart residential batteries in the U.S. that is reducing the impact of energy challenges and climate change on society.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved the Wattsmart program in April 2022, making Idaho the second state to embrace Wattsmart. As the first Utah contractor to deploy the new business model for smarter, more grid interactive solar + storage adoption, ES Solar has followed this expansion with Wattsmart customer enrollments in Idaho underway, supported by ES Solar’s new sales office in Idaho Falls. ES Solar hopes to expand to additional states.

ES Solar will target existing solar owners, both within its customer base and externally, to retrofit homes with Wattsmart-enrolled batteries. With the addition of a sonnenCore+ energy storage system, individual home PV systems will be transformed from sources of intermittent and erratic generation to firm dispatchable grid assets that provide value to grid operations. The resulting solar battery networks help decarbonize the environment and rapidly scale the blueprint for replacing certain peaking power plants.

In the existing Wattsmart fleet, RMP has direct control over the battery swarm and can dispatch it on demand to meet grid conditions with daily, dynamic solar time shifting and directed load curtailment, plus frequency response and directed solar grid injection when the grid needs power, as opposed to when it is sunny. The Wattsmart Program is rapidly growing each month, with over 2,000 consumer batteries enrolled. With this fleet and Utah’s signature 600-unit Virtual Power Plant at Soleil Lofts, it is currently believed by sonnen that Rocky Mountain Power is directly controlling more residential batteries dynamically and on a daily basis, than any utility-controlled battery consumer program in the nation.

ES Solar is dedicated to expanding the reach of sonnen’s systems and platform and has been elevated to the role of value-added distributor and Wattsmart flagship solar contractor. In existing and new Wattsmart markets, ES Solar will establish reselling channels with other regional solar contractors and replicate their smart, utility-controlled battery business model throughout the industry. Furthermore, the ES Solar team is the first contractor to have access to sonnen’s newest technology, the stackable sonnenCore+ System, which ES launched in July 2022.

By championing this model for selling grid-interactive solar plus utility controlled residential batteries and continuing to embrace Rocky Mountain Power as a strategic partner, sonnen and ES Solar continue to break from traditional contractor ideologies which position batteries solely as tools for back-up power or off-grid living and the utility as an adversary. The ES Solar approach and the Wattsmart Program prove that true energy transition requires collaboration from the grid, the utility, government, and the citizens of a community.

“The sonnen and ES Solar teams share a vision of solving our growing energy challenges in a meaningful manner by creating a renewable electrified energy system for society’s future that is scalable and effective,” says Blake Richetta, chairman and CEO at sonnen Inc. “As Rocky Mountain Power’s battery program grows, ES Solar is succeeding in overcoming the complex concepts and challenges associated with effectively integrating residential solar + storage into the broader energy system. As this radical model expands into thousands of new homes, so does the use of batteries for the betterment of individuals, society and the environment, which is the ultimate purpose of a solar battery.”

“We’re honored to expand our relationship with sonnen by rapidly increasing the implementation of smart batteries within the Wattsmart program.” states Nic Evans, vice president of strategic partnerships at ES Solar. “Our team emphasizes the need for more than just rooftop solar to drive the clean energy transition and we want to do more than lead this transition, we want to empower other contractors to follow in our footsteps. This is now possible with our value-added distributor model and replicable sales and marketing strategy. As we exceed our goals in Utah and expand into new markets, we’re excited to continue our work with sonnen and Rocky Mountain Power.”

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Trina Solar 210mm

Trina Solar’s proprietary Vertex high-efficiency n-type monocrystalline silicon module, based on 66 pcs of 210 mm x 210 mm high-efficiency n-type i-TOPCon cells, has achieved a record aperture module efficiency of 24.24% for industrial large-area n-type i-TOPCon modules. This is independently confirmed by TÜV Nord.

In March 2022, Trina Solar brought the maximum efficiency of 25.5% for large-area 210 × 210mm i-TOPCon cells, setting a new world record for industrial large-area n-type i-TOPCon cell.

Trina Solar’s researchers in State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology developed multi-busbar and novel encapsulation technologies, together with non-destructive laser cutting technology to improve module efficiency. By using large-area 210mm n-type i-TOPCon cells, they brought the maximum aperture efficiency of 24.24% for large-area 600W+ modules with an area of 2.807 m2.

“We are very proud to announce the latest achievements developed by our technical team at the State Key Lab. This is the first time to demonstrate over 24 percent module aperture efficiency with industrial large-area n-type i-TOPCon cells,” states Dr. Yifeng Chen Yifeng, head of high efficiency cell and module R&D center. ” This is the 25th record that Trina Solar achieved in terms of cell and module efficiencies. Trina Solar is dedicated in technology innovation and its transfer to high efficiency products, to create value for our customers. “

In order to meet the growing demand for 210+ n-type solar modules, in 2022, Trina Solar plans 8 GW production capacity of n-type modules, which all based on Trina Solar’s 210+ N technology, best combining high-efficiency of n-type cells and high reliability of 210 Vertex module, bringing premium green technology and perfect aesthetic experience to residential customers.

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Adam Briggs

Ambri, a long-duration energy storage provider, is teaming up with Xcel Energy to use its Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) to demonstrate Ambri’s energy storage technology. Ambri’s Liquid Metal battery energy system will support Xcel Energy’s renewable energy and economic development goals.

“We are honored to be selected by Xcel Energy as they continue to drive towards a carbon-free future,” says Adam Briggs, chief commercial officer at Ambri. “Partnering with a progressive and innovative utility such as Xcel Energy is an exciting opportunity for Ambri as their clean energy vision is directly aligned with our mission to leave the planet a better place for future generations.”

Xcel Energy is looking to Ambri’s Liquid Metal battery technology to help achieve its clean energy goals as the company installs more renewable energy and retires coal plants. Its energy plans are expected to reduce carbon emissions at least 80% by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and achieve a net-zero energy future by 2050 while delivering reliable, affordable energy service.

“We are pleased to work with Ambri as we continue bringing our customers the clean, affordable energy they depend on,” states Alice Jackson, senior vice president of system strategy, and chief planning officer at Xcel Energy. “We look forward to learning what their technology can accomplish in a range of extreme environmental conditions as we look to build out the long-duration energy storage that will help us reach our carbon reduction goals.”

The year-long energy storage project will be installed at SolarTAC in Aurora, Colo., where advanced solar and distribution grid technologies have been tested in a real-world, grid-connected environment since 2011. Xcel Energy is a founding member of SolarTAC, which is managed and operated by MRIGlobal, a non-profit contract research organization. The site also supports microgrid capabilities at the edge or end of the electric distribution system.

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The project in southwest France combines PV, battery storage and possibly green hydrogen in future. Image: Baywa r.e.

Renewable energy group BayWa r.e. has been selected to implement a project in France combining a solar PV plant, a battery energy storage system (BESS) and – if enough offtakers can be found – green hydrogen.

The Community of Communes of Haute-Saintonge, near Bordeaux, has chosen the international firm to deliver the co-located project.

It will combine a 40MWp PV park and an attached BESS. A press release did not reveal the size but BayWa r.e’s director of innovation in France Mathieu Bordeleau told Energy-Storage.news that, although its specifications had not been finalised, it was currently planning a 2-4MW, 4-8MWh two-hour system.

He added that it was “highly likely” that the chosen battery chemistry would be lithium iron phosphate (LFP), considering that is the technology of choice for its other BESS projects, and that it would have a variety of use cases.

“The use cases will be specified at a later stage, depending on economic opportunities and potential changes in the regulatory and incentive frameworks. In the current situation, the energy storage system would provide ancillary services (frequency reserve) and would participate to the French capacity market,” Bordeleau explained.

Adding: “We will also investigate the potential of energy time shift, as well as peak shaving to optimise connection to the public grid.”

A press release said that green hydrogen production would also be added to the project if local offtake and utilisation opportunities are confirmed. If it is, that portion of the project will be delivered by Lhyfe, a company based in Nantes, northwest France.

The renewable hydrogen would be sold to industrial players, local authorities, associations or school and urban transport, within a 100-150 km radius. This potential for adding the technology to the project will be confirmed through a one-year study on local use.

BayWa r.e. has offered the local authority the chance invest in the project during the development phase, and to become a majority shareholder during the construction and operation phase.

This project will be a blueprint for regions that want to actively take part in the energy transition, especially as an investment opportunity for local authorities”, commented Céline Tran, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. France.

The company has worked on co-located projects in several other countries, including a 200MW/400MWh system in Texas it recently sold to Eni New Energy, one in California for which it signed a PPA with an offtaker recently, and two in the UK it acquired from from Harmony Energy and JBM in April 2022 and July 2021, respectively.

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Image: Duracell Power Center via Facebook

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing various aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act and the positive impact its expected to have on energy storage deployment in the US.

That’s true for battery storage at grid-scale and for the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment too, both areas we report on frequently here at Energy-Storage.news.

Meanwhile, it’s also true at residential scale, where fears of power outages and environmental consciousness have already led to an uptick in sales of battery storage and growing attachment rates for batteries for customers of rooftop solar PV, both new and existing.

Further boosts are expected for the residential storage sector from changes to electricity market rules and regulations such as FERC Order 2222, which directs that transmission operators must allow distributed energy resources (DERs) – like battery storage – to participate in wholesale markets.

Some big names have announced steps forward in their residential battery offerings, perhaps with a view to presenting them to the industry at next month’s RE+ 2022 trade show in Anaheim, California, which incorporates the Solar Power International and Energy Storage International events.

Sunrun-backed Lunar Energy emerges from stealth mode

Lunar Energy is an electrification business aiming to build “affordable hardware and software products for the residential sector” to enable renewable energy uptake and the elimination of fossil fuels in the home.

Its first offering will be a home battery system. Details of that have not been released yet, but Lunar Energy did say yesterday that it has acquired UK smart energy and battery storage software company Moixa.

Moixa’s GridShare software manages battery storage systems and their interaction with home energy usage and production. For instance, it can be fed data on a customer’s energy usage patterns and plan charging accordingly, while it can also consider weather forecasting and other data.

While Moixa is noted as a pioneer of battery storage in the UK, having performed some of the earliest frequency response pilots using home batteries aggregated into a virtual power plant (VPP), it has perhaps made the biggest impact in Japan.

The GridShare software is onboarded to 330MWh (about 35,000 units) of battery storage from Japanese conglomerate ITOCHU. The software can manage other types of DER assets too. In the UK, Moixa’s biggest project has been working with courier company UPS to electrify its fleet of vehicles.

Lunar Energy has been quietly developing its business and gathering investment in stealth mode since its founding in August 2020. What’s most likely to get the company noticed is that two of the main investors contributing to US$300 million in raised funds to date are major US residential solar PV and storage installer Sunrun and South Korea’s SK Group.

Also among investors are ITOCHU and another investor in Moixa, Japanese automaker Honda.

“More than ever, we need rapid adoption of renewable energy solutions across all sectors to mitigate climate change. Lunar Energy was founded to build affordable hardware and software products for the residential sector to help homeowners generate, store and consume 100% clean energy and remove the usage of fossil fuels from every home,” Lunar Energy CEO and former Tesla Energy exec Kunal Girotra said.

Offering a so-called “next-generation home battery system” to the market is “the first step towards our mission to electrify all homes and connect communities to form clean, resilient virtual power plants—freeing us from power outages, rising energy costs and harmful emissions,” the CEO said.

“Kunal, and the engineering team at Lunar Energy, are building at scale home electrification products that will dramatically accelerate the switch from fossil fuels to renewables,” Lunar Energy chair and Sunrun co-founder and co-executive chair Lynne Jurich said.

Baywa r.e. to distribute Duracell brand home battery storage

Germany-headquartered renewable energy group Baywa r.e. will distribute battery storage systems for the home carrying the iconic Duracell brand.

Baywa r.e. said last week that it is adding the Duracell Power Center suite of residential storage tech products to its line card for solar installation partners in the US. It has signed a deal for distribution with Power Center, an authorised Duracell licensee.

The systems are AC-coupled and scalable in units of 5kW to 10kW output and from 14kWh to 42kWh capacity and can be installed with new PV systems or retrofitted to existing systems. Designed to also offer backup power, they come with automatic islanding capability in the event of an outage, can load shift to take advantage of time-of-use electricity rates and can be monitored and controlled 24/7 through a mobile app.

Baywa r.e. is also distributing Duracell Home Ecosystem, an integrated solar-plus-storage solution which comes with microinverters for solar PV and EV charging products. Home Ecosystem storage units are equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and come with a 10-year warranty.

“The home storage segment has struggled with à la carte solutions, as you typically have equipment from different manufacturers that must work together and communicate in order to provide energy management services in the home,” Baywa r.e. Solar Systems VP of product strategy David Dunlap said, adding that Power Center, “brings everything together in one system with an iconic brand name that customers trust”.

Panasonic launches all-system warranty

Japanese consumer electronics company Panasonic is offering a full warranty package that covers solar PV and energy storage equipment from the maker.

Announced earlier this week by Panasonic Corporation of North America, the warranty is being offered to customers that purchase Panasonic solar PV modules as well as the company’s Evervolt 2.0 energy storage system.

Called Evervolt Allguard All System Warranty, it offers 25 years protection on the solar modules, 25 years on the racking system, coupled with 10 year warranty cover for the Evervolt 2.0 and 10 year warranty cover for inverters.

Evervolt 2.0 can be either AC-coupled or DC-coupled, with 7.6kW off-grid output, 9.6kW on-grid output and 17.5kWh capacity. It will be available from January 2023.

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Jared Donald

Amp Energy, a global energy transition platform and renewable energy developer, has closed financing on its 61 MW / 6.5 MWh solar plus storage portfolio in Massachusetts and New York, valued at $155 million. KeyBank led the construction and term debt, with U.S. Bank investing the tax equity for the portfolio, in the fourth transaction amongst the three parties since 2017.

Of the 13 projects that make up the portfolio, the majority will reach commercial operation this year, with the balance occurring in Q2 2023. Three of the projects will incorporate DC-coupled energy storage and will be dispatched by the Amp X optimization and management platform, allowing the assets to autonomously optimize the battery output to maximize their fixed SMART program revenues, while participating in the ISO New England wholesale markets.

“This latest round of financing into community solar transactions pushes Amp’s total tax equity and debt raised past $500 million over the last few years in the U.S. community solar market,” says Jared Donald, EVP and head of Amp’s U.S. operations. “We’re pleased to have once again attracted top tier institutional financing with KeyBank and U.S. Bank, which speaks to their deep understanding of the market as well as the knowledge and diverse skillset of the Amp team.”

“Community solar makes the benefits of a less expensive, cleaner energy option accessible to those unable to install panels on their rooftop, and we’re proud to support Amp’s expansion in Massachusetts and New York,” states Justin Baker, vice president with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corp.’s Environmental Finance team. “Being responsible stewards of the environment is important to U.S. Bank and we’re committed to continued investments in solar.”

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Amp and grow community solar in Massachusetts and New York,” comments Tyler Nielsen, director in KeyBanc Capital Markets’ Utilities, Power & Renewable Energy Group, “Providing financing to optimize solar and storage also builds on the success of KeyBank’s National Community Benefits Plan which focuses on investments in affordable housing, mortgage and small business lending, and renewable energy.”

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Image: Octopus Electric Vehicles.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been used to help balance the grid in what has been dubbed a first for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in the UK.

Sustainable energy company Octopus Energy Group and the UK’s electricity system operator National Grid ESO carried out the project.

The ESO directly sent a series of signals to Octopus between 17:00-05:00 over 3-5 August 2022, which then charged and discharged 20 EVs depending on the needs of the Balancing Mechanism, which is one of the main tools used to balance the system in real-time, matching supply with demand.

Following the tests, analysis from Octopus Electric Vehicles has suggested that if the results were extrapolated across a whole year, EVs with vehicle-to-grid capabilities playing into the Balancing Mechanism could realise a profit of around £62 million (US$73.3 million) per annum. This figure assumes a million cars (dis)charging over four sessions a week, and 20% of car energy volume is delivered into the Balancing Mechanism.

“This is a real ‘line in the sand’ moment for V2G tech. We have shown that this technology is capable of helping to balance our future, green grid, to the benefit of people and the planet,” said Claire Miller, director of technology and innovation at Octopus Electric Vehicles.

To read the full version of this story, visit Current±, where it was first published.

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Sweden-based Azelio’s thermal energy storage solution being installed in South Africa.

The past week has seen thermal energy storage solution companies strike or execute on commercial deals across Norway, Greece, Israel and South Africa.

Kyoto Group

In Norway, Kyoto Group has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with corrugated cardboard manufacturer Glomma Papp to enter into a supply agreement for Kyoto’s thermal energy storage solution, the Heatcube. A system could be commissioned as early as summer 2023.

The company’s solution is a molten salt-based battery ranging from 4MWh to over 100MWh, and with discharge load up to 25MW. It started a pilot battery in February 2020 which is now dimensioned for loads up to 1MW.

In March, the company acquired Mercury Energy, a Spain-based firm holding a number of intellectual property rights (IPRs) related to the development of thermal energy storage, which it then renamed Kyoto Technology Spain.

Azelio

Based in Norway’s neighbouring country of Sweden, thermal energy storage group Azelio has announced that its solution has been installed at mixed farming company Wee Bee’s site in South Africa.

The company has installed the first TES.POD units at the North West Province location, which has a ‘current grid connection that is unreliable, expensive and fossil-based’ according to a press release. Energy-Storage.news reported the news of the order which was made in November 2021.

The TES.POD stores energy at 600°C heat in a phase change material (PCM) made of a recycled aluminium alloy which can then drive a Stirling engine, converting the energy into electricity.

In Wee Bee’s case, the TES.POD will charge from solar PV and provide both dispatchable heat and electricity to reduce the site’s CO2 emissions. The company’s order totals eight TES.POD units.

Brenmiller Energy

Israel-based Brenmiller Energy has ordered US$1.4 million worth of equipment for the expansion of its production facility under construction in Dimona, Israel. The equipment will be delivered in November and the company expects the facility to have an annual production capacity of 4,000MWh by end-2023.

Brenmiller’s bGen system heats crushed rocks to 600° Celsius which can then store that thermal energy for minutes, hours or days. The stored heat energy can then be used to produce energy in the form of steam, water or hot air for industrial applications.

The company recently inaugurated a 1MWh system in Brazil, as reported by Energy-Storage.news.

Rondo Energy

A relatively new player in the thermal energy storage space is California-based Rondo Energy, which raised US$22 million in a Series A in February 2022, including participation from Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Breakthrough has invested in various thermal energy storage startups, including Antora Energy.

Then in July, it announced it was working with another investor, Greece-based TITAN Cement Group to develop new concepts for decarbonising its industrial production processes.

The company is vague on its thermal energy storage technology, describing its product as the Heat Battery and saying it can charge from renewable energies and deliver continuous heat at temperatures up to 1,500° Celsius.

The most detail provided on its website is that it is made from ‘bricks made from safe, widely-available materials’.

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The Caribbean island country is eyeing billions of investment in energy storage. Image: P. Hughes.

The government of Barbados has created a national energy storage policy and sees billions of investment potential in the sector, a minister has said.

Minister of Energy Kerrie Symmonds said on Monday (22 August) that the government had created the policy with the anticipation that storage would be the next frontier in renewable energy investment, according to local news outlet Barbados Today.

The most significant part of the policy is that all large-scale renewable resources, “such as five or ten megawatts”, Symmonds said, would have to include energy storage.

The plan is to have centralised energy storage assets owned by utilities as well as privately-owned systems, including small systems owned by households, for which the government has so far granted 4,000 licenses.

Speaking in the annual general meeting of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA), Symmmonds said: “It is anticipated that energy storage systems will be unlocking US$3.5 billion in investment for this country. Government does not contemplate a single storage solution but instead is contemplating several grid-related services.”

Energy-Storage.news has asked the Barbados government’s communications department if the quoted figure is US dollars or Bajan dollars, the latter of which would equate to US$1.75 billion based on today’s exchange rate of 1:0.5, and will update the story in due course.

Symmonds continued: “Services which reduce or eliminate the need for energy curtailment will be of the greatest interest to the Government and will also be a type of service that should be of the greatest interest to independent power producers and investors.”

As Energy-Storage.news reported earlier this year, Barbados is targeting 100% renewable energy use and carbon neutrality by 2030. In April, the Inter-American Development Bank issued a request for expressions of interest (IOE), on behalf of the country, for consulting services to help develop a competitive procurement framework for utility scale renewable energy capacity and energy storage.

It emphasised that the government wished the procurement to be technology-agnostic, something also alluded to in Symmonds’ recent comments.

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