Category Archives: Grid Scale

Grid Storage R&D Center planned for Pacific Northwest National Lab by 2025

The first phase of planning work is underway on a $75 million research and development center focused on accelerating development and deployment of long-duration, low-cost energy storage.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the beginning of design and construction of the Grid Storage Launchpad located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

The facility will include 30 research laboratories, some of which will be testing chambers capable of assessing prototypes and new grid energy storage technologies under real world grid operating conditions.

“The Grid Storage Launchpad facility will bring together researchers and industry from around the country to modernize and add flexibility to the power grid, advance storage technologies, and boost use of clean energy,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Deploying new grid technologies means we can get more renewable power on the system, support a growing fleet of electric vehicles, make our grid more reliable and resilient, and secure our clean energy future.”

The GSL will focus on three outcomes to advance grid energy storage development:

  • Collaboration: Bringing DOE, multidisciplinary researchers, and industry together at the facility will lower the barriers to innovation and deployment of grid-scale energy storage.
  • Validation: The facility will enable independent testing of next generation grid energy storage materials and systems under realistic grid operating conditions.
  • Acceleration: From benchtop to systems, the facility will de-risk and speed the development of new technologies by propagating rigorous performance requirements.

During this new phase of development, PNNL will select a design and construction contractor and begin working toward the start of construction, which could begin late this year. The building is expected to be operational and ready for occupancy by 2025.

“It took 40 years to get to the current state of today’s lithium-ion battery technology, but we need to move much faster to develop the long-duration, low-cost batteries needed to meet the significant challenges of decarbonizing the energy system,” said PNNL Director Steven Ashby. “The GSL will speed up the process considerably by doing the work needed to develop and deploy new grid storage technologies.”

The Grid Storage Launchpad will support the DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge announced in January 2020 by then Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. The Challenge was initiated to help researchers and industry develop domestically manufactured energy storage technologies which can meet U.S. market demands by 2030.

— — — — —

Energy Storage Breakthroughs will be a session track in POWERGEN International happening Jan. 26-28 in Dallas. The POWERGEN Call for Speakers is now open and click here to submit a session idea.

The post Grid Storage R&D Center planned for Pacific Northwest National Lab by 2025 appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

Grid Storage R&D Center planned for Pacific Northwest National Lab by 2025

The first phase of planning work is underway on a $75 million research and development center focused on accelerating development and deployment of long-duration, low-cost energy storage.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the beginning of design and construction of the Grid Storage Launchpad located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

The facility will include 30 research laboratories, some of which will be testing chambers capable of assessing prototypes and new grid energy storage technologies under real world grid operating conditions.

“The Grid Storage Launchpad facility will bring together researchers and industry from around the country to modernize and add flexibility to the power grid, advance storage technologies, and boost use of clean energy,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Deploying new grid technologies means we can get more renewable power on the system, support a growing fleet of electric vehicles, make our grid more reliable and resilient, and secure our clean energy future.”

The GSL will focus on three outcomes to advance grid energy storage development:

  • Collaboration: Bringing DOE, multidisciplinary researchers, and industry together at the facility will lower the barriers to innovation and deployment of grid-scale energy storage.
  • Validation: The facility will enable independent testing of next generation grid energy storage materials and systems under realistic grid operating conditions.
  • Acceleration: From benchtop to systems, the facility will de-risk and speed the development of new technologies by propagating rigorous performance requirements.

During this new phase of development, PNNL will select a design and construction contractor and begin working toward the start of construction, which could begin late this year. The building is expected to be operational and ready for occupancy by 2025.

“It took 40 years to get to the current state of today’s lithium-ion battery technology, but we need to move much faster to develop the long-duration, low-cost batteries needed to meet the significant challenges of decarbonizing the energy system,” said PNNL Director Steven Ashby. “The GSL will speed up the process considerably by doing the work needed to develop and deploy new grid storage technologies.”

The Grid Storage Launchpad will support the DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge announced in January 2020 by then Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. The Challenge was initiated to help researchers and industry develop domestically manufactured energy storage technologies which can meet U.S. market demands by 2030.

— — — — —

Energy Storage Breakthroughs will be a session track in POWERGEN International happening Jan. 26-28 in Dallas. The POWERGEN Call for Speakers is now open and click here to submit a session idea.

The post Grid Storage R&D Center planned for Pacific Northwest National Lab by 2025 appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

New energy storage deployment topped record 3,500 MWh in 2020, ESA report shows

Energy storage installation grew nearly 200 percent and totaled an all-time operational record in fourth quarter 2020, according to a new report.

The report released by analytics and research firm Wood MacKenzie and the U.S. Energy Storage Association’s latest U.S. Monitor report indicated that about 2,156 MWh of new energy storage was brought online in the last three months of the year. This breaks the previous quarterly record and is 182 percent higher than 2020’s third quarter, according to the report.

Falling prices and fewer barriers to energy storage deployment are credited with helping the quarterly revival. Front-of-meter storage accounted for four of every five MW deployed in the fourth quarter, according to report.

Residential storage totaled about 90 MW and represented 14 percent of the MW total during the period. Much of that growth was driven by homeowner interest in California, the ESA release says.

Overall for the year, nearly 1,500 MW of capacity and 3,500 MWh in new storage was brought online. The capacity total was 179 percent higher than the previous year’s installations.

“2020 is the first year that advanced energy storage deployments surpassed gigawatt scale—a tremendous milestone on the path to our aspiration of 100 GW by 2030,” said Jason Burwen, U.S. Energy Storage Association Interim CEO. “With continuing storage cost declines and growing policy support and regulatory reform in states and the federal government, energy storage is on an accelerating trajectory to enable a resilient, decarbonized, and affordable electric grid for all.”

The U.S. energy storage market is forecast to add five times more storage—or close to 7,000 MW­—in 2025, according to the ESA.

Front-of-meter installation could account for up to 85 percent of new MW annually, as utilities deploy large-scale projects to help balance out intermittent renewable energy growth. The U.S. installed 3,115 MWh of storage from 2013-2019, a total which was exceeded in 2020 alone, Wood Mackenzie Head of Energy storage Dan Finn-Foley noted in a statement.

“The data truly speaks for itself,” Finn-Foley said. “This is the hallmark of a market beginning to accelerate exponentially, and momentum will only increase over the coming years.”

The world’s largest utility-scale battery storage system, Moss Landing, was brought online earlier this year in Monterey County, California. The 400 MW/1,600 MWh Moss Landing was developed by Texas-based utility owner Vistra Energy and is backed by long-term contracts with Pacific Gas & Electric.

— — — — —

Decarbonization and Energy Storage Breakthroughs are two of the content tracks when POWERGEN International happens live Jan. 26-28, 2022, in Dallas. The POWERGEN Call for Speakers is open for submissions through May 17. Click here to see the tracks and submit a speaking session idea. Presentations which include utility speakers will be given added weight.

The post New energy storage deployment topped record 3,500 MWh in 2020, ESA report shows appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

New energy storage deployment topped record 3,500 MWh in 2020, ESA report shows

Energy storage installation grew nearly 200 percent and totaled an all-time operational record in fourth quarter 2020, according to a new report.

The report released by analytics and research firm Wood MacKenzie and the U.S. Energy Storage Association’s latest U.S. Monitor report indicated that about 2,156 MWh of new energy storage was brought online in the last three months of the year. This breaks the previous quarterly record and is 182 percent higher than 2020’s third quarter, according to the report.

Falling prices and fewer barriers to energy storage deployment are credited with helping the quarterly revival. Front-of-meter storage accounted for four of every five MW deployed in the fourth quarter, according to report.

Residential storage totaled about 90 MW and represented 14 percent of the MW total during the period. Much of that growth was driven by homeowner interest in California, the ESA release says.

Overall for the year, nearly 1,500 MW of capacity and 3,500 MWh in new storage was brought online. The capacity total was 179 percent higher than the previous year’s installations.

“2020 is the first year that advanced energy storage deployments surpassed gigawatt scale—a tremendous milestone on the path to our aspiration of 100 GW by 2030,” said Jason Burwen, U.S. Energy Storage Association Interim CEO. “With continuing storage cost declines and growing policy support and regulatory reform in states and the federal government, energy storage is on an accelerating trajectory to enable a resilient, decarbonized, and affordable electric grid for all.”

The U.S. energy storage market is forecast to add five times more storage—or close to 7,000 MW­—in 2025, according to the ESA.

Front-of-meter installation could account for up to 85 percent of new MW annually, as utilities deploy large-scale projects to help balance out intermittent renewable energy growth. The U.S. installed 3,115 MWh of storage from 2013-2019, a total which was exceeded in 2020 alone, Wood Mackenzie Head of Energy storage Dan Finn-Foley noted in a statement.

“The data truly speaks for itself,” Finn-Foley said. “This is the hallmark of a market beginning to accelerate exponentially, and momentum will only increase over the coming years.”

The world’s largest utility-scale battery storage system, Moss Landing, was brought online earlier this year in Monterey County, California. The 400 MW/1,600 MWh Moss Landing was developed by Texas-based utility owner Vistra Energy and is backed by long-term contracts with Pacific Gas & Electric.

— — — — —

Decarbonization and Energy Storage Breakthroughs are two of the content tracks when POWERGEN International happens live Jan. 26-28, 2022, in Dallas. The POWERGEN Call for Speakers is open for submissions through May 17. Click here to see the tracks and submit a speaking session idea. Presentations which include utility speakers will be given added weight.

The post New energy storage deployment topped record 3,500 MWh in 2020, ESA report shows appeared first on Renewable Energy World.

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