Energy Storage

Stationary energy storage can prove to be the Cinderella of battery markets. From the 25th to the 27th January around 300 stakeholders in the battery business gathered in Berlin to discuss why is Germany not building its own gigafactories yet. The fifth edition of Batterieforum Deutschland, the prime event organised to foster a Li-ion battery ecosystem in Germany, took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel near Potsdamer Platz, with three topics as the main sources of engagement for the attendees: battery manufacturing in Germany, advanced Li-ion chemistries, and stationary storage. The event was organised by KLiB, a public-private partnership of the German government and some national battery stakeholders. In this premium article, we will focus on stationary storage.

Because the sun doesn't always shine, solar utilities need a way to store extra charge for a rainy day. The same goes for wind power facilities, since the wind doesn't always blow. To take full advantage of renewable energy, electrical grids need large batteries that can store the power coming from wind and solar installations until it is needed.

The size of the battery is so thin (2-3 millimeters) that it is a prime candidate for use in microsatellites, including CubeSats.

Lithium-ion batteries have become essential in everyday technology. But these power sources can explode under certain circumstances and are not ideal for grid-scale energy storage. Sodium-ion batteries are potentially a safer and less expensive alternative, but current versions don't last long enough yet for practical use.

Wearable electronics are here — the most prominent versions are sold in the form of watches or sports bands. But soon, more comfortable products could become available in softer materials made in part with an unexpected ingredient: green tea.

Things will have to change in order that they remain the same (i.e., Li-ion batteries are here to stay). From the 25th to the 27th January around 300 stakeholders in the battery business gathered in Berlin to discuss battery innovation in Germany. The fifth edition of Batterieforum Deutschland, the prime event organised to foster a Li-ion battery ecosystem in Germany, took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel near Potsdamer Platz, with three topics as the main sources of engagement for the attendees: battery manufacturing in Germany, advanced Li-ion chemistries, and stationary storage. The event was organised by KLiB, a public-private partnership of the German government and some national battery stakeholders. In this premium article, we will focus on battery chemistries.

ThyssenKrupp is a German conglomerate that has developed vanadium redox flow batteries which can be integrated into its steel-making business. In this background profile, Dr Lorenzo Grande covers their activities.

RedFlow is an Australian company developing zinc/bromine flow batteries for stationary applications. IDTechEx Analyst Dr Lorenzo Grande covers background information in this company profile.

Schmid Group is a German conglomerate which is active in the vanadium redox flow space with their EverFlow containers.

Primus Power is a Northern California-based producer of zinc/bromine flow batteries. They patented a single flow loop design that eliminates the membrane in the electrode stack.

ViZn Energy is a US company focusing on large-scale zinc-based redox flow batteries. They have partnered with companies like Jabil, Schneider Electric, and Princeton Power Systems.

EnStorage is an Israeli start-up working on hybrid redox flow batteries based on hydrogen and bromine. It has 500 kW / 4 MWh worth of projects planned up to 2020.

Researchers have developed a new flow battery that stores energy in organic molecules dissolved in neutral pH water. This new chemistry allows for a non-toxic, non-corrosive battery with an exceptionally long lifetime and offers the potential to significantly decrease the costs of production.

A battery made with urea, commonly found in fertilizers and mammal urine, could provide a low-cost way of storing energy produced through solar power or other forms of renewable energy for consumption during off hours.

The European Investment Bank has signed a EUR 15 million 'quasi equity' financing with Skeleton Technologies, Europe's leading producer of ultracapacitors and ultracapacitor based energy storage solutions built with graphene-type materials.

Maxwell Technologies Inc has announced a definitive agreement with CRRC Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Research Institute Co Ltd to localize manufacturing of its ultracapacitor-based modules for use in the China new energy bus market.

There is only one thing worse than bad planning, and that is too much planning. From the 25th to the 27th January around 300 stakeholders in the battery business gathered in Berlin to discuss why is Germany not building its own gigafactories yet. The fifth edition of Batterieforum Deutschland, the prime event organised to foster a Li-ion battery ecosystem in Germany, took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel near Potsdamer Platz, with three topics as the main sources of engagement for the attendees: battery manufacturing in Germany, advanced Li-ion chemistries, and stationary storage. The event was organised by KLiB, a public-private partnership of the German government and some national battery stakeholders. In this premium article, we will focus on battery manufacturing.

Zinc-air batteries are one of the most promising solutions for the large-scale storage of intermittently-generated renewable electricity from solar, wind or tidal: they are non-flammable, inexpensive and with a very high energy density.

A low-cost chip that enables batteries in sensors to last longer, in some cases by over ten times, has been developed by engineers.

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. Murata is committed to the development of advanced electronic materials and leading edge, multi-functional, high-density modules. For more information see http://www.murata.com/ and http://www.IDTechEx.com