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present are behind the meter in combination with solar and other on-site renewables, and large gridconnected applications at multi-MW scales,” he says. Although there was a lot of talk about battery storage at the NICEIC & ELECSA Live South 2019 event, none of those questioned had installed DC equipment – and only one had any kind of storage device. “Cost is a barrier to entry,” says Paul Collins, Certsure technical services manager. “Once prices decrease, we will see greater adoption – but there also needs to be more awareness of the benefits to consumers in using battery storage, especially for the one million homeowners who have already invested in solar PV.”
attery-based energy storage has huge scope for decarbonising our power system. Rising electricity prices and decreasing technology costs are driving this market, while businesses and homeowners are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of their energy use. Battery storage is flexible, can be deployed quickly, has multiple applications and is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. According to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report, the global energy storage market will grow to 125GW between 2016-30. Policy Exchange has stated that a smarter power system that takes advantage of innovations such as battery storage could create savings of around £8 billion for the UK by 2030. “Self-generation, buffered through storage, is now achievable for homeowners – at a cost,” says Luke Osborne, energy and emerging technologies solutions advisor at the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA). “In the commercial arena, significant savings can be made through the use of energy storage by reducing the periods when companies enter higher pricing regimes.” Frank Gordon, head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association (REA), says opportunities to make savings already exist. “The two main applications at
POWER-PACKED Batteries have management systems that offer a range of potential applications, such as storing excess energy generation from solar PV, purchasing cheap electricity at night and storing it for later, providing grid-balancing services and wholesale electricity trading, and providing back-up during a power cut. Solarcentury claims that the combination of solar, battery storage and a grid service tariff could cut the average electricity bill by 70 per cent. BNEF’s ninth Battery Price Survey found that the average lithium ion (Li-ion) battery pack fell in price by 85 per cent from 2010-18 – a key factor in the growth of energy storage. “This has meant that storage
125GW: THE EXPECTED SIZE OF THE GLOBAL ENERGY STORAGE MARKET BY 2030
BY ROB SHEPHERD
IMAGE: GETTY
Locked up Storing electricity and heat when it’s cheap and plentiful, then using it afterwards when supply is scarce or expensive, makes sense for householders, businesses and society
has become economically viable in many areas,” says Richard Molloy, business development manager for energy storage at Eaton. Flow batteries are increasingly used for large-scale installations. “The chemicals in a flow battery can be replaced, so their effectiveness can be maintained,” says Osborne. “They also have the ability to be completely discharged and charged without long-term degradation, which isn’t the case with Li-ion.” The challenge to create more effective battery technology is global. The UK government’s Faraday Challenge will invest £248 million into battery development initiatives, while the French government is putting £597 million into the manufacture of battery cells. Meanwhile, the German government has set aside around £900,000 to support battery cell production. However, for Lior Handelsman, SolarEdge’s vice president of marketing and product strategy, more attention should be paid to inverters. “The inverter acts as the brain of the local energy system and as a facilitator between the local energy system and the grid,” he says. “An inverter’s ability to manage a battery for different purposes, such as time of use, self-consumption, back-up and grid stability, has allowed batteries to become more functional and useful.”
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