Mercedes-Benz To Follow Tesla With Its Own Home Batteries
Stephen Edelstein for Motor Authority: Tesla Motors may be the first automaker to try selling standalone battery packs for powering homes and businesses, but it may not be the only one for long. Mercedes-Benz could soon enter the energy storage business as well. A division of parent company Daimler has been testing battery packs that can power houses or store excess electricity from the grid, and plans to launch commercially in September, according to Australia's Motoring.
Called ACCUmotive, this division was created in 2009 to develop lithium-ion batteries. Like Tesla before its recent announcement, the Daimler arm has been testing energy storage systems under the radar for some time. It recently built an energy storage array operated by German electricity joint venture Coulomb. The array consists of 96 lithium-ion modules that together boast a combined 500 kilowatt hours of storage capacity, which is used to stabilize the Saxony Kamenz power grid. There are plans to expand it to 3,000 kWh of capacity.
ACCUmotive has reportedly delivered more than 60,000 lithium-ion cells to customers—which may include Mercedes itself—and employs more than 250 people.
Five lessons on how to sell home energy storage
TRISTAN EDIS writes: Reposit Power are one of the first companies in Australia that have teamed up with Tesla in the roll-out of their Powerwall home energy storage system. The interesting thing about Reposit is that its primary businesses isn’t selling energy hardware but, rather, using software to aggregate and trade lots of little sources of power generation into the electricity market. Most battery retailers and installers in Australia have their roots in the off-grid market – they have sold batteries to customers because their only other option was expensive, maintenance-intensive diesel generators. But Reposit is inherently bound to the grid where there are lots of generators connected which they trade against.
It means Reposit, in trying to get batteries rolled out (which they can then use to trade into the power market), face a far more challenging sales proposition. Grid-connected customers don’t really need the battery system – it’s an optional extra because the grid works extremely well in providing reliable and affordable power. Yet participants in the solar PV market know there is some considerable latent demand for batteries among householders – particularly those with solar systems – provided the offering is right. The challenge is working out what the successful marketing formula needs to be to tap this latent demand.
Dean Spaccavento, chief product officer with Reposit, explained what they’ve found out so far, outlining 10 lessons of which I’ve plucked out five. The overall message is it is extremely hard to sell a grid-connected household an energy storage system. And Reposit had the benefit of an ARENA grant which allowed them to discount the price of their $25,000, 14kWh battery system by a very hefty $10,000. This was a one-off, small volume offer. To sell battery systems in Australia it will need to happen without the benefit of such a big rebate.
The five lessons below provide one overarching lesson – batteries won’t be sold on some kind of pure sophisticated financial calculus of rate of return or NPV. Instead, it will be a mixture of rule-of-thumb financial hurdles and a strong dose of emotion. Cont'd....
OutBack Power's Battery-Based Inverters 1st to Receive Utility Approval in Hawaii
All-Important HECO Approval Critical for Supporting Hawaiis Commitment to Renewable Energy
Intersolar - Reliable Power for Renewable Energy Applications with Trojan Deep-Cycle Batteries
Intersolar Europe: Trojan Booth B1.430
ViZn Energy Systems Enters Partnership with Jabil to Manufacture its Redox Flow Battery
Jabil will help ViZn ramp up production capabilities to fulfill current orders and meet expected delivery commitments over the next 12 months.
Smart Energy Storage Software
Software plays a critical role in the performance of grid-scale energy storage systems because these energy storage systems are complex to design, deploy and operate.
Saft recognized for energy storage marketplace commitment & leadership
Saft leaders accept Brad Roberts Outstanding Industry Achievement Award at the Energy Storage Association (ESA) Annual Conference & Expo.
Green Charge Networks Named One of 15 Smart Grid Companies to Watch in 2015
Commercial Sided Intelligent Energy Storage Company Cited As One of the Most Innovative and Smart Emerging Companies in the Smart Grid Industry
Tesla and Gaelectric to Introduce Tesla Battery Storage to Ireland
Companies agree to develop 1-MW demonstration project to facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources
"Designer carbon" boosts battery performance
Mark Shwartz, Stanford Univ.: Stanford Univ. scientists have created a new carbon material that significantly boosts the performance of energy-storage technologies. Their results are featured in ACS Central Science.
"We have developed a 'designer carbon' that is both versatile and controllable," said Zhenan Bao, the senior author of the study and a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford. "Our study shows that this material has exceptional energy-storage capacity, enabling unprecedented performance in lithium-sulfur batteries and supercapacitors."
According to Bao, the new designer carbon represents a dramatic improvement over conventional activated carbon, an inexpensive material widely used in products ranging from water filters and air deodorizers to energy-storage devices.
"A lot of cheap activated carbon is made from coconut shells," Bao said. "To activate the carbon, manufacturers burn the coconut at high temperatures and then chemically treat it."
The activation process creates nanosized holes, or pores, that increase the surface area of the carbon, allowing it to catalyze more chemical reactions and store more electrical charges.
Intersolar - Superior Knowledge for Decision-Makers
EPIA Presents Current Figures for the Photovoltaic Market at Intersolar Europe
SolarBOS Proud to Introduce Battery Connection Panel
Allowing customers to employ multiple battery banks with a single inverter.
Duke Energy, LG Chem, Greensmith to build fast-response energy storage system in Ohio
The system will be built at Duke Energy's retired W.C. Beckjord coal-fired power plant in New Richmond, Ohio, and is expected to be operational by late 2015.
Gexpro Launches a New Battery Energy Storage Solution
As a leader in energy solutions, Gexpro will be the system integrator using industry-leading technology from each of the supplier companies.
NEESC Launches Pilot Program to Assist Hydrogen/Fuel Cell and Energy Storage Entrepreneurs
The pilot Innovation Action Program offers technical assistance through third-party providers to help hydrogen/fuel cell and energy storage businesses leverage private financing or federal funding for research and new product development, and to facilitate the commercialization of emerging technologies.
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