Energy Storage
Imagine Where we Would Be if we Had All Been Pushing in the Same Energy Direction
February 7th, 2018Is Energy Storage Quickly Becoming a Mainstream Technology?
January 29th, 2018Japan Tests Virtual Power Plants with Potential Capacity on Unprecedented Scales
In the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the Japanese government embarked upon the largest deregulation of any electricity market worldwide. Through their restructuring they not only want to push away from nuclear energy, but also to promote renewable energy and help modernize the Japanese electric grid by introducing competitive services and flexible […]
European Utilities Expand Beyond the Meter into IoT, Building Performance Software & Energy Services
This article was written by Daphne Tomlinson, Independent Senior Research Associate at Memoori. Competition is intensifying as European utility groups challenge players from the building automation, energy services and technical facilities management sectors in offering smart building technologies, software and services. The focus of investments is in two areas: 1. IoT solutions and software platforms […]
Solar Power Beats DOE Targets By 3 Years Underlining Its Value to Buildings
In 2011 the US Department of Energy (DOE) set a target as part of their SunShot Initiative that the cost of solar power should reach a very competitive $1 per watt, or 6 cents per kilowatt hour, by 2020. Last week they announced they had reached this target a full three years ahead of schedule […]
The Threat to Microgrid Momentum
In this historic hurricane season, the fragility of existing energy infrastructure is on full display. One bright spot in all the coverage of Hurricane Harvey in Houston was that the microgrid equipped H.E.B. Grocery chain of stores kept its shops open and served the public, while power outages kept competitors closed. Each such microgrid success […]
The Eclipse Beats Solar Power But Is Tackled By Energy Storage
“If the eclipse of the sun is complete it will be dark forever. The demons of darkness will come down. They will eat men!,” reads the The Florentine Codex, an ethnographic study of 16th-century Aztecs in Mexico, which included their interpretation of solar eclipses. In the modern age we, for the most part, have a […]
Return Of The Microgrid… Again
It didn’t seem that long ago that we were all talking about microgrids, a lot. We may have anticipated a large series of small, renewably driven, battery powered, local energy grids that can be disconnected from the larger utility grid and operate independently. The momentum seemed to have cooled on this revolution however, but recent […]
IKEA Launches Potentially Disruptive Solar Battery Storage Offering
Home furnishings mega-brand IKEA has taken a bold step into the energy sector with the release of its new Solar Battery Storage offering. They promise to help UK homeowners make savings on their electricity bills, as well as increase the rate at which they can reap the benefits from their solar investment. Considering their brand […]
New Vehicle-to-Grid Research Shows Cars Can Power Buildings
The future of the automobile is no doubt electric. Despite continued resistance from the oil lobby, electric vehicle (EV) sales continue to grow. EVs offer an emission free personal transport option that, with the proper infrastructure, will require little sacrifice from our current gas-guzzlers. As adoption goes up and prices come down, EVs are promising […]