Energy Storage

Electric vehicles could account for more than half of all passenger cars and buses sold throughout the world within the next two decades, according to a new report by BloombergNEF. Sliding lithium-ion battery costs will make EVs cheaper than vehicles based on internal combustion engines by the mid- to late-2020s, the research firm says.

This is Tata Power’s fourth major partnership with an energy retailer to expand its presence in the e-mobility business. As part of the MoU, the private-sector electricity generator with work with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) to set up solar rooftop projects and commercial-scale electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery swapping stations.

A research team has applied a waterproof coating obtained from graphite to a perovskite cell intended to power the production of hydrogen underwater. The cell is said to have worked underwater longer than expected.

And the analyst expects that annual new additions figure to rise to 10.6 GW in 2025. This year the U.S. will surpass South Korea as the largest storage market due to new capacity for solar-plus-storage projects. In Japan and Australia, growth will be spurred by the termination of FIT programs.

Waste-to-energy, battery lifecycle solutions and hazardous waste management will make up an increased share of Fortum’s business in future. While solar will continue to be a mainstay for the Finnish clean energy company in India, Fortum wants to deepen its presence in the electric vehicle space with smart solutions, according to Sanjay Aggarwal, the company’s India MD, and Juha Suomi, area director for Asia, who spoke exclusively to pv magazine.

Under the partnership, projects will be sought on nomination as well as through competitive bidding. Exicom shall also help state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to set up electric vehicle (EV) charger manufacturing facility for e-mobility business.

Government-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals and the Automotive Research Association of India will combine their respective strengths in technology development and testing and certification to work on electric and trolley buses, EV chargers and battery and charger testing.

The Indo-Tibetan Border (ITB) Police Force at Lingdum in East Sikkim has invited bids for supply and installation of 10 KWp and 5 KWp solar power plants at its five border outposts.

Deployment of lithium-ion battery storage systems is growing rapidly, with Wood Mackenzie recently predicting that the U.S. market alone could be worth $4.7 billion within the next five years. Demand is rising for both grid-scale and behind-the-meter applications in a number of markets throughout the world, particularly in East Asia, the global hub of lithium-ion battery production. But a recent string of fires in South Korea – one of the world’s biggest markets for stationary storage, thanks to a concerted government push – has rekindled smoldering concerns about safety.

The EPC contractor and solar PV module manufacturer aims to capture over 15% of India’s Rs 600 crore off-grid solar inverter market by 2022, thus becoming one of the largest solar inverter players in the segment.