700 MW Of Energy Storage Announced in 2014–2015

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Navigant Research has released a report stating that 696.7 megawatts (MW) of global energy storage projects (excluding pumped hydro) were announced in 2014–2015, with much coming in Q3 2014 to Q1 2015. North America had 436.4 MW of the whole amount.

Younicos 3
Samsung lithium-ion batteries at the Younicos Technology Center in Berlin, Germany.

The report cites the total global number of energy storage projects for that time period as slightly over 800.

“Driven by government support at the state and federal levels, North America leads the world in terms of recently announced energy storage projects. California alone accounts for more than one-quarter of new project announcements in the 2014-2015 period,” said Anissa Dehamna, a senior research analyst. For the California Public Utilities Commission ordered 1.325 MW to be installed by 2020.

CleanTechnica has reported on some of the California energy storage companies, like Stem and Imergy Power, and the Ice Bears units that convert electricity into ice at night to use during hot days. We’ve also reported on energy storage projects in Europe from Younicos (including the largest energy storage project in Europe), and in Washington state from UniEnergy.

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Sodium-sulfur battery enclosure at the Younicos Technology Center in Berlin, Germany.

Some of the top markets for energy storage internationally are currently:

  • United States
  • UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • China
  • Australia

If Tesla is successful in making an attractive home energy storage system, it appears that the energy storage market could expand even more quickly.

The Model S seems to have generated both a great deal of press and interest. The launch of a Tesla home battery system might do something similar. While 696 MW is considered to be very much currently, in five or ten years, it will likely seem quite modest.

Some of the largest energy storage contracts ever were awarded in 2014. Many of the systems are using lithium-ion batteries. Energy storage appears to be poised to expand in ways that the “man or woman on the street” might not be aware of currently, but its growth will create the awareness.

Solar power, combined with energy storage and intelligent software, is likely to become much more of a fixture in our society, rather than a fringe technology. Energy storage is playing a key role in this gradual shift.

Images by Zachary Shahan | CleanTechnica (CC BY-SA 4.0 license)


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Jake Richardson

Hello, I have been writing online for some time, and enjoy the outdoors. If you like, you can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeRsol

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