Latest news with #energyStorage
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
What The Spanish Blackout Says About Renewable Energy In The U.S.
Commuters milling around the darkened Madrid-Chamartin station on April 28, 2025. Like most Americans, with the exception of a soccer match every now and then, I could give a flying handshake about what's happening day-to-day on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the recent blackout, which shut off power to over 55 million people in three countries within five seconds, caught my attention for its implications for the future of renewable energy in the U.S. Renewables promise ample electricity with a low carbon footprint and a low price point, especially compared to coal, so it is no wonder that wind and solar have seen such a huge growth in capacity over the last generation. Note how quickly the green wedge representing wind power grows starting at around the turn of the ... More century. Solar growth started about 10 years late but is on the same trajectory. Critics of renewables will rightly point out that renewables are cheap as long as battery storage is not included in their price, and the sudden collapse of an entire electric grid for 12 hours incurs a staggering economic burden that should be priced into cost calculations. Supporters of renewables argue that the problem is not renewables themselves, but insufficient or outdated control, distribution and storage equipment on the grid. If we spend more money on storage and transmission, everything will be hunky-dory. My intuition was that both arguments held water. Critics are right to include the cost of storage to the low cost of renewables because electricity is an on-demand commodity--it must be there even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. That said, supporters are right that including the long-term cost of further unbalancing the planet's natural carbon cycle, the 'low' cost of continued fossil fuel consumption is an illusion. Since the blackout, which occurred at the end of April, I've been speaking with Dr. Lorenzo Kristov, one of the world's top experts on grid architecture, and combing through reams of articles on power engineering. I concluded that both critics and supporters of renewable energy are wrong. Both sides are trying to fix current problems with the same mindset that created the problems in the first place: Industrial Revolution thinking. The Industrial Revolution paradigm centralizes production and relies upon long and ultimately fragile supply and distribution chains that are vulnerable to changes in environmental factors. As we head deeper into the post-Climate era, long supply and distribution chains will inevitably face accelerating disruption. Nearly 90% of natural gas processing, fractionation, and storage is concentrated in four regions in the U.S., each subject to various environmental hazards that will incur greater complications and costs as climate change exacerbates natural disasters' frequency and severity. Although concentrating gas production in these areas is efficient (the ultimate goal of the Industrial Revolution paradigm), it results in long, fragile supply and distribution chains. Centralized production allows for economies of scale so is very efficient. However, resiliency is ... More low due to geographical concentration. Similarly, building enormous solar and wind farms deep in flyover country necessitates enormous expenditures on fancy new storage equipment and mechanical devices to manage voltage and grid frequency, and new high-voltage DC transmission lines. All this spending creates exactly the same sort of fragile supply and distribution chains we see in natural gas. Indeed, the root cause of the Iberian grid's failure on a clear, windy day when 70% of Spain's generation capacity was coming from renewables was the Spanish grid's inability to gracefully handle such a surplus of renewables generation. Modern-day grids are trying to cram the power train for a Tesla Roadster alongside the internal combustion drivetrain of a 1959 Edsel, then take this hybrid Frankencar off-roading. It is time for a new paradigm. Kristov and his colleagues have developed a paradigm that envisions individual towns and regions forming self-reliant mini-grids that can attach and detach from the larger grid network as needed. While this architecture would not have prevented the equipment failure that triggered the Iberian Blackout, it would have isolated the problem from the rest of the system, keeping the outage local rather than allowing it to proliferate nationwide. This model upsets the way incumbents competing in electrical generation, transmission, and distribution have been doing business for the last 120 years. Challenging a network of longtime monopolies and their corresponding political structures is tough, even though it's the right thing to do. We need renewable energy in the U.S. Intelligent investors take note. Those interested in a detailed analysis of the causes of the Iberian Blackout and a plain-language explanation of modern grid function and management, please see my recently published research report.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Green light for battery energy storage system
Plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) next to a former power station have been approved. One Plant Developments wants to install the facility on greenbelt land off Stranglands Lane, near to the former Ferrybridge C power station. BESS facilities take in power from renewable energy sources and then release it back to the National Grid when demand is high. Wakefield Council gave its backing to the plan, which received no comments of support but only one objection. One Plant Developments said it had chosen the location due to its proximity to the Ferrybridge C substation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The firm said: "There are no residential properties in the immediate vicinity of the application site, and the proposed development is not likely to affect any significant number of people. "Given that the proposed BESS will be an unmanned facility, with access required only for occasional maintenance inspections, and there being no public access to the site, there are no particular access issues that require to be addressed." The former Ferrybridge power plant, close to the River Aire, was shut in March 2016 after more than 50 years of energy production. It was once one of the biggest power generators in Europe, with its coal-fired boilers producing enough electricity to power 2m homes. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Wakefield Council Landmark power station development plans approved
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Green light for battery energy storage system at Ferrybridge site
Plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) next to a former power station have been Plant Developments wants to install the facility on greenbelt land off Stranglands Lane, near to the former Ferrybridge C power facilities take in power from renewable energy sources and then release it back to the National Grid when demand is Council gave its backing to the plan, which received no comments of support but only one objection. One Plant Developments said it had chosen the location due to its proximity to the Ferrybridge C substation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting firm said: "There are no residential properties in the immediate vicinity of the application site, and the proposed development is not likely to affect any significant number of people."Given that the proposed BESS will be an unmanned facility, with access required only for occasional maintenance inspections, and there being no public access to the site, there are no particular access issues that require to be addressed."The former Ferrybridge power plant, close to the River Aire, was shut in March 2016 after more than 50 years of energy was once one of the biggest power generators in Europe, with its coal-fired boilers producing enough electricity to power 2m homes. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Investment in big batteries booms as Australia's energy transition gathers pace
Investment in big batteries hit $2.4bn in the first three months of 2025, making it the second strongest quarter for energy storage on record in Australia. The latest data from the Clean Energy Council found six new storage projects – totalling 1.5 gigawatts capacity – reached financial close (the financial commitment that means the project is likely to be built) and a level of investment last seen in the final quarter of 2023 with a record $2.8bn. The largest was the four-hour Wooreen battery system in Victoria, at 350MW, which was supported by the federal government's capacity investment scheme. Three large-scale battery systems in South Australia, one in Queensland and one in New South Wales also reached financial close. Renewable energy had a slower start to the year, with two solar farms – totalling 386MW and $410m investment – reaching financial close. A quieter first quarter was typical, the CEC said, with investment ramping up throughout the year. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter 'Over the past five years, new investment commitments in the first quarter of the year have averaged 427MW, compared to a Q4 average of 1,153MW over the same period,' it said. By the end of March, 82 renewable energy projects had either reached financial commitment or were under construction, representing 12GW of capacity. The strong result for storage in the first quarter followed Australia's biggest yearfor clean energy investment in 2024, in which rooftop solar installations on homes and businesses raced past 4m, the CEC's annual snapshot found. Investment in large-scale renewable energy hit $9bn, a 500% increase on 2023. This combined with investment in energy storage to deliver the nation's highest clean energy investment on record at $12.7bn. The CEC's chief policy and impact officer, Arron Wood, said political certainty would continue to help drive the 'eye-watering' levels of private sector investmentneeded for the government to meet its target of 82% renewable energy by 2030. 'The target is ambitious, but it's achievable,' Wood said. 'With the election behind us, inflation easing and strong industry participation in the Capacity Investment Scheme, the early signs suggest we can expect to see private sector investment in both renewable power generation and battery storage projects continue to increase as the year progresses.' Renewable energy provided 40% of Australia's total electricity generation in 2024, up from 39.4% in 2023. The CEC report said an additional 6GW from wind and solar farms would be needed annually by 2030 to replace retiring coal generation. 'The Clean Energy Australia report has a lot of really good news in it,' Wood said, adding that it showed investment flowed with the right policy settings and continuity. 'The willingness to build Australia's energy transition is there. But that's not something where you can just set and forget.' Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion New transmission lines were critical to maintaining the pace, along with connecting projects to the grid as quickly and efficiently as possible, Wood said. Working with communities to build support for the transitionand maximise local benefits was also important. The director of Clean Energy Finance, Tim Buckley, said there was cause for optimism but maintaining the pace of investment and developmentrequired much quicker approvals, construction and commissioning. 'We need to get speed and scale way beyond current rates, particularly with extended delays to grid connection,' he said. 'There is great momentum, and more to do,' said Anna Skarbek, the chief executive of Climateworks Centre. She said the electricity transition was tracking well in terms of replacing fossil fuels with renewable power. 'We know that to achieve a prosperous economy, in a fully decarbonised global economy, when all sectors are net zero – that actually will use a lot more electricity than what we use today,' she said. Reaching the government's legislated target of net zero by 2050 would mean at least a doubling in electricity demand as other sectors including transport, mining and industry sought to cut their emissions. 'We know that Australia has the capacity to do that,' Skarbek said. 'Australia does have very large-scale potential to use renewable energy in its heavy industry sectors, and that's a really important contribution to global trade. And also we have world-class solar penetration at what's considered small scale or distributed energy in households.'
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Chinese battery maker Hithium expands global footprint amid US-China rift, rising demand
Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology, the world's third-largest energy storage system (ESS) battery manufacturer, is ramping up production overseas in response to heightened US-China tensions and rising tariffs impacting Chinese exports. Hithium plans to start production at its Texas factory in the second half of this year and hire at least 200 staff locally, said Sun Minghuang, the director of strategic marketing, in an exclusive interview. 'We are determined to go global, and localisation is a very important strategy in our global ambitions,' he said. Hithium filed its Hong Kong listing application in March to raise funds for its growth plans. The company's US$100 million facility in Forney, Texas, covering nearly 500,000 sq ft, will have an annual production capacity of about 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Accounting for at least 10 per cent of Hithium's total production capacity, the company was targeting to more than double its capacity to 100GWh by 2026 from 2024 levels, according to its preliminary prospectus. Xiamen Hithium engineers inspect one of the company's facilities. Photo: Handout Hithium aims to generate half of its annual revenue overseas by 2028, from nearly 30 per cent last year, taking advantage of growing demand for energy storage due to increasing renewable energy production, according to Sun. Earlier this month, the company signed a preliminary agreement with Spanish venture capital firm GCRPV to set up an ESS plant in Europe. In October, it formed a joint venture with a Saudi Arabian firm to set up a facility in the Middle Eastern country.
