The Cambridge Energy Storage Project in Cambridge, Minnesota will deploy Form Energy’s iron-air battery technology, capable of storing energy for up to 100 hours, or several days, the company said.

Form Energy said this is the first commercial deployment of the company’s iron-air battery. The system will be manufactured at the company’s Form Factory 1 in Weirton, West Virginia, and is expected to be operational by late 2025.

Following the project’s completion, Great River Energy plans to conduct a multi-year study to evaluate the system’s performance and potential for broader deployment. 

Iron-air battery technology uses the principle of reversible rusting. The battery cells contain iron and air electrodes and are filled with a water-based, nonflammable electrolyte solution. While discharging, the battery absorbs oxygen from the air and converts iron metal to rust.

While charging, the application of an electrical current converts the rust back to iron and the battery emits oxygen. The technology has lower costs compared to lithium-ion battery production.

Form Energy has several iron-air battery projects underway across the U.S.

One plan is to deploy 10 MW/1,000 MWh systems at two retiring Xcel Energy coal plants: The Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker, Minnesota and the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colorado.

Form Energy also has an agreement with Georgia Power to deploy a 15 MW/1500 MWh iron-air battery system in Georgia. The multi-day battery system could come online as early as 2026. 

Company co-founder and CEO Mateo Jaramillo appeared on the Factor This! podcast last year, where he discussed the company’s history and its recent efforts to commercialize its 100-hour battery.

Episode 54 of the Factor This! podcast features Form Energy co-founder and CEO Mateo Jaramillo, a former Tesla executive pushing for deep decarbonization on the grid. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Callisto I is a 200 MW/400 MWh battery energy storage system located in central Houston, ten miles from the Houston Ship Channel at the site of a former HL&P H.O. Clarke fossil-fired power plant.

The site can accommodate an additional 400 MW/800 MWh of battery energy storage generation, Jupiter Power officials said.

Jupiter Power is a developer, owner and operator of standalone, grid-connected battery storage projects. Callisto I is Jupiter’s ninth project in ERCOT, bringing its total ERCOT fleet to 1,375 MWh. In December of 2023, Jupiter Power announced the closing of a $65.2 million financing with First Citizens Bank to finance the construction of Callisto I.  

Jupiter Power said Callisto I significantly increases Houston’s supply of reliable, zero emissions power as it faces record demand increases. This growth and recent extreme weather events in Texas has led to efforts by state lawmakers to incentivize adding more dispatchable power to the ERCOT grid. 

That’s according to the latest reporting from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). For perspective, the 40.4 GW of generating capacity added in 2023 was the most in a year since 2003.

EIA said 20.2 GW came online during the first half of 2024, 3.6 GW (or 21%) more than the capacity added during the first six months of 2023.

Solar continued to lead all U.S. generating capacity additions in the first half of 2024, representing 12 GW (or 59% of all additions). Texas and Florida made up 38% of U.S. solar additions. The largest new projects included the 690 MW solar and storage Gemini facility in Nevada and the 653 MW Lumina Solar Project in Texas.

Nearly 60% of the planned capacity (25 GW) for the second half of 2024 is from solar. If this planned capacity comes online, solar additions will total 37 GW in 2024, a record in any one year and almost double last year’s 18.8 GW.

Battery storage made up the second-most capacity added so far this year, according to EIA. Battery additions made up 21% of new additions and were concentrated in four states: California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada.

10.8 GW of battery storage is planned for the latter half of 2024. If it all comes online, the 2024 total (15 GW) would be a record. Plans for storage capacity in Texas and California currently account for 81% of new battery storage capacity in the second half.

Wind power made up 12% (2.5 GW) of U.S. capacity additions. Canyon Wind (309 MW) and Goodnight (266 MW), both located in Texas, were the largest wind projects that came online in the first half of 2024.

Nuclear power also increased in the U.S. during the first half of 2024, with Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia coming online in April.

Retirements slow

Retirements of U.S. electric generating capacity has slowed so far in 2024. Operators retired 5.1 GW of generating capacity in the first half of the year, compared to 9.2 GW retired during the same period in 2023.

Natural gas units represented more than half (53%) of the capacity retired in in the first half of 2024, followed by coal (41%).

According to EIA, about 2.4 GW of capacity is scheduled to retire during the second half, including 700 MW of coal and 1.1 GW of natural gas.

Aypa Power intends to develop, own, and operate a 150 MW/600 MWh battery storage facility in Kuna, Idaho just outside the capital of Boise. Aypa’s secured financing package includes a $233 million green loan, including a construction and term loan, a tax equity bridge loan, and a letter of credit facility. Additionally, the project secured $90 million in tax equity, bringing the total financing to $323 million. The company secured a 20-year agreement with Idaho Power last year and hopes to bring it online in 2025.

Renewable Energy World asked Aypa Power to see if the Idaho battery storage project requires any additional state or local approval and is awaiting a response. It’s a natural question for any clean energy project proposed in Idaho given a recent trend of local opposition.

Kuna residents recently came out in force against the 2,385-acre Powers Butte Energy Center solar project developed by Savion, Idaho News 6 reports. The proposed solar farm would be located in a rural farming area, much to the annoyance of the opposition, who say the farm would be a blight on the surrounding area.

Kuna residents attended the second public hearing on the Powers Butte Energy Center project, but Ada County Commissioners did not make a decision on the project’s future. By the end of the month, the Ada County Commission moved to halt on the project, BoiseDev reports, citing public opposition and their own feelings in their decision. Commissioners said the project would come with environmental concerns and unfavorable views.

Ryan Davidson, an Ada County Commissioner, called the decision “tough” and said the board he serves on is “not anti-solar.” He said the commission previously approved a Savion solar project that was developed “out in the desert,” instead of near residents.

It’s not just solar that faces an uphill battle in Idaho: a controversial wind project is facing another obstacle after Sen. Jim Risch introduced legislation to delay the 1,000 MW Lava Ridge Wind project, which is located on federal land near the Minidoka National Historic Site. The project’s opponents claim that the wind farm will “visually compromise” the historic site honoring more than 13,000 Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.

Opposition to the Lava Ridge Wind project led the Bureau of Land Management to suggest nearly halving the size of the project from 400 turbines to 241 as part of the “preferred alternative” plan. Idaho’s state legislature unanimously passed a resolution in March 2023 expressing opposition to the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project.

Based on local reporting, Idaho residents haven’t appeared to have objected to any battery storage project, though Aypa’s would be the state’s first utility-scale facility.

Idaho Power, the investor-owned utility providing electricity to most of the state, sees energy storage serving a key role in the future. Last year, the utility laid out a plan to acquire 101 MW of energy storage to address potential capacity shortfalls driven by limited third-party transmission capacity, load growth, and declining peak performance from several resources, NewsData reports. Some of that load growth will come from a Meta data center that’s expected to be completed in 2025.

While opponents of wind and solar — referred to unaffectionately as “NIMBYs,” an acronym for Not in My Backyard — have successfully fought projects across the country, the majority of Americas don’t mind living near clean energy projects, according to polling data.

A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found around 75% of Americans are comfortable living near solar projects. Wind projects faired slightly worse at 70%. The poll did not ask about energy storage projects.

Despite broad support for clean energy projects in the U.S., at least 15% of counties have “halted new utility-scale wind, solar, or both,” according to a USA Today report, by implementing “outright bans, moratoriums, construction impediments, and other conditions.”

“Battery storage is a key element to building a green economy here in New York, and we have taken comprehensive efforts to ensure the proper safety standards are in place,” Governor Hochul said. “With updating fire codes, we’re ensuring that New York’s clean energy transition is done safely and responsibly.”

Governor Hochul convened the Working Group in 2023 to ensure the safety and security of energy storage systems, following fire incidents at facilities in Jefferson, Orange, and Suffolk Counties. The Working Group was tasked with independently examining energy storage facility fires and safety standards and creating a draft fire code Recommendations Report.

Proposed recommendations include:

• Requiring industry-funded independent peer reviews for all BESS installations exceeding energy capacity thresholds established for lithium-ion batteries;
• Requiring that qualified personnel or representatives with knowledge of the BESS installation are available for dispatch within 15 minutes and able to arrive on scene within four hours to provide support to local emergency responders in the event of a BESS fire.
• Extending safety signage requirements beyond the BESS unit itself to include perimeter fences or security barriers and include a map of the site, BESS enclosures, and associated equipment.
• Removing the fire code exemption for BESS projects owned or operated by electrical utilities to ensure that all projects comply with the fire code.
• Including a requirement that every BESS facility is equipped with an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and site-specific training to be offered for local fire departments to familiarize them with the project, hazards associated with BESS, and procedures outlined in the ERP.
• Including a fire code requirement in all BESS installations for monitoring of fire detection systems by a central station service alarm system to ensure timely, proper notification to the local fire department in the event of a fire alarm.
• Introducing a new provision in the fire code mandating regular industry-funded special inspections for BESS installations to ensure thorough safety and compliance.

“Lithium-ion batteries and energy storage facilities play a large role in New York’s work toward achieving our clean energy goals,” said Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. “Governor Hochul recognized the importance of putting the proper safety standards in place for this new, but critical, technology, and this draft language based on recommendations from the Governor’s Working Group will help ensure the safe operation of these facilities into the future.”

15 draft recommendations were proposed by the working group after examining existing FCNYS and other energy storage fire safety standards. The group previously released initial data finding no reported injuries nor harmful levels of toxins detected following fires at battery energy storage systems in Jefferson, Orange, and Suffolk Counties last summer.

The vote green lights Platte River’s recommended “optimal new carbon” portfolio which includes 300 MW of new solar and 460 MW of new wind by 2030. The utility would also add 200 MW of thermal generation in the form of aeroderivative gas turbines by 2028, according to filings presented to the board.

“While some community members question the need for new gas turbines, every portfolio we’ve modeled that meets the requirements of our three foundational pillars adds renewable resources and aeroderivative units,” says Jason Frisbie, general manager and CEO of Platte River.

While PRPA considered five different portfolios, the company said the optimal new carbon plan
“balances cost, reliability and carbon considerations.”

Platte River Power Authority is the utility serving Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland – communities in Northern Colorado.

In 2020, PRPA had filed an IRP which included the goal of being carbon-free by 2030. However, the utility said supply chain and inflationary pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted changes to the plan.

Platte River said the 2024 IRP captures these developments, while reaffirming the need for dispatchable capacity to support a highly renewable energy portfolio.

Platte River said it plans to follow a three-pronged approach to dispatchable capacity:

• Implementing both short and long-duration energy storage when commercially viable. PRPA plans to add 175 MW of battery storage by 2030. The utility acknowledged that long-duration energy storage would not be commercially available at scale until after 2030.
• Using the lowest carbon-emitting combustion turbine technology that is hydrogen capable. It’s worth noting that in all the utility portfolios, it assumes new thermal generation would use a fuel blend containing 50% hydrogen from 2035 on; and 100% hydrogen fuel from 2040 onwards.
• Building out a virtual power plant with the four owner communities. Platte River said though work is already underway to build a virtual power plant, modeling and data from consultants estimate it will take close to a decade to develop a fully functional resource.

In 20 years, the utility plans to add a total of 600 MW of solar and 885 MW of wind. PRPA would also add 275 MW of battery storage and 160 MW of long-duration energy storage during that time.

Platte River noted it could further refine its IRP during implementation, incorporating market conditions, technology evolution, availability and cost and timing of new resources.

The Signal Butte energy storage project would be a 250 MW, four-hour BESS located in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor in Mesa, AZ. The project would use lithium-ion technology and be operational by mid-2026. 

Signal Butte was selected from SRP’s 2023 All-Source Request for Proposals process. The project was jointly bid by Eolian, L.P., the original developer of the project; and Aypa Power.

The project would be owned and operated by Aypa Power, who purchased this late-stage battery energy storage project from Eolian, taking over the remaining development and construction required to bring this project into operation.

Once online, SRP will have full dispatch control of the storage system and will decide when to deploy its energy output. The project would typically be charged when energy costs are lowest and be discharged in the early-evening when demand is highest.  

SRP currently has nearly 1,300 MW of batteries and pumped hydro and 2,300 MW of carbon-free resources serving its customers. By the end of 2027, SRP expects nearly half of its generation mix to be carbon-free. 

The battery energy storage system (BESS) will have a 20-year guaranteed capacity of 25 megawatts (MW) and 100 megawatt-hours (MWh). A 25-year tolling agreement positions Ameresco as the asset owner and Snohomish PUD as the exclusive customer of the project. It allows Ameresco to provide Snohomish PUD the flexibility to utilize the battery energy storage system for charging and discharging activities under the agreement.

“This project represents a paradigm shift in the Pacific Northwest energy industry,” said Nicole Bulgarino, executive vice president at Ameresco. “By collaborating with Snohomish PUD, we are pioneering a unique model where the owner and the customer are distinct entities, showcasing the versatility and scalability of utility-scale storage solutions.”

Ameresco says the BESS will provide the PUD with enhanced electrical system reliability and flexibility while reducing exposure to energy price volatility.

“We’re excited to work with Ameresco on making this new battery energy storage project a reality,” stated John Haarlow, Snohomish PUD CEO/General Manager. “Energy storage is a critical component to helping us keep the grid reliable and affordable while also meeting our clean energy goals.”

Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 and the BESS could be operational in late 2025.

The largest non-standalone BESS project in the Northwest is located at Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility (30 MW, 60 MWh) in Morrow County, Oregon. That site features first-of-its-kind wind, solar, and storage co-location.

The firm’s latest analysis predicts developers will put more than 5.4 terawatts (TWac) of new solar and wind capacity online over the next decade, increasing the cumulative global total to 8 TWac.

Energy storage capacity (excluding pumped hydro) will grow by more than 600%, Wood Mackenzie predicts, as nearly 1 TW of new capacity is expected to come online from 2024-2033.

“Global demand for renewables has reached unprecedented levels, driven by country-level policy targets, technology innovation, and concerns over energy security,” stated Luke Lewandowski, vice president of global renewables research at Wood Mackenzie. “Integrated power technology solutions will continue to evolve, evidenced by a significant increase in storage-paired capacity growth, despite inflation, grid constraints, and permitting challenges.”

Annual capacity will increase from approximately 500 GW of new solar and wind capacity installed in 2023, and average 560 GW annually over the 10-year outlook. China will continue to dominate solar, energy storage, and wind uptake, with 3.5 TWac forecast to be grid-connected between 2024 and 2033, notes WoodMac’s analysis.

“Solar PV leads the deployment race, accounting for 59% of global capacity due to come online between 2024 and 2033. Energy storage will have the most balanced geographic footprint over the outlook due in part to its important role in helping to make renewable power available,” Lewandowski added.

Solar: Cumulative installed global solar PV capacity to nearly quadruple from 2024 to 2033

“Ultra-low module prices intensified the rate of solar deployments last year in Europe and China and will continue to do so in the near-term. But grid constraints and a return to lower power prices and subsequently lower capture rates will impact markets and other regions,” said Juan Monge, the principal analyst of distributed solar PV at Wood Mackenzie.

Wood Mackenzie’s global solar PV forecast projects 4.7 terawatts direct current (TWdc) will be built between 2024 and 2033, with China accounting for 50% of that capacity growth.

Monge added: “Ultimately, maximizing solar PV capacity, and wind power capacity for that matter, in the next 10 years will depend on additional technology developments: from expanding grid infrastructure to incentivizing flexibility solutions, transportation, and heating electrification.”

In 2023, drastic drops in Chinese module prices and tight deadlines to interconnect tendered projects triggered 150% annual growth for installations across all solar PV segments, the analysis explains. Year-on-year increases in annual installed capacity will continue until 2026, when Wood Mackenzie forecasts a two-year slowdown due to an expected pause in development activity before the next round of planned procurement drives higher deployment.

For installations in the first quarter, developers in the US installed more solar in the first quarter of 2024 than in all of 2019, installations in China were up 36% year-on-year, and new capacity in India through Q1 amounted to 85% total capacity installed in 2023. However, Europe’s distributed PV boom has started to weaken, with first quarter residential installations contracting more than 30% in Germany and over 50% in the Netherlands as retail rates come down.

Energy storage: Global cumulative capacity will increase sixfold by the end of 2033, passing 1 TW/3 TWh

“Global energy storage deployment in 2023 achieved record-breaking growth of 162% compared to 2022, installing 45 GW/100 GWh. While impressive, the growth represents just the start for a multi-TW market as policy support in terms of tax exemption and capacity and hybrid auctions accelerate storage buildout across all regions,” said Anna Darmani, principal analyst of energy storage at Wood Mackenzie.

The global energy storage market is on track to reach 159 GW/358 GWh by the end of 2024, according to Wood Mackenzie’s Q2 global energy storage market outlook update. Looking ahead, 926 GW/2789 GWh will be added between 2024 and 2033, marking a 636% increase.

China remains the global leader in energy storage due to its booming solar market, with an average of 42 GW/120 GWh annual capacity additions forecasted in the next 10 years.

In Europe, grid-scale projects are booming as developers aim to seize opportunities from emerging contracted revenues. Demand from the distributed segment has decreased by 23% in 2024 as retail rates stabilize. With lower system costs and regulatory changes, however, distributed market growth is expected to resume from 2026.

Wind: Global wind power industry to add more than 1.7 TW over the next 10 years

According to Wood Mackenzie’s Q2 global wind market outlook update, policy support from China’s central government drives the world’s largest wind market, with China forecasted to install 91.5 GW on average annually.

“China’s central government announced a plan in May to promote the energy transition and ensure the country meets carbon-neutral targets,” explained Lucas Stavole, senior research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Project development has been accelerated in the short-term and renewable energy investment will be a long-term economic driver.” 

Challenges with permitting, grid access, financing, and supply chain availability impact the 2024 to 2026 outlook, pushing capacity into 2027 to 2033 and beyond the 10-year horizon. These dynamics impacted countries primarily in North America, Western Europe, and Asia.

Outside of China, wind additions globally will average 85 GW per year, a robust increase compared to the prior 10-year average of 37 GW. Additions in the Americas region will total 230 GW through 2033, as the offshore wind sector gains a foothold in the region and government incentives continue to drive growth.

The offshore wind sector, after connecting 11 GW globally in 2023, will average 39 GW of connected capacity annually from 2024 to 2033, (386 GW total), culminating in 54 GW in 2033. More than 50% (199 GW) of the total offshore wind capacity installed over the outlook period will be installed in China.

The new project replaces DTE’s retired Trenton Channel Power Plant, a century-old coal-fired facility.

DTE’s Trenton Channel Energy Center, expected online in 2026 if approved by regulators, would be the largest standalone battery storage project in the Great Lakes region. It also represents a step toward DTE’s goal to more than double its total energy storage capacity by 2042.

The Michigan utility said the new battery project would reduce strain on the grid, decrease the need to start and stop generation as demand fluctuates and augment DTE’s growing wind and solar resources.

Powin’s contribution includes the integrated hardware, advanced software controls and extensive service packages.

In June DTE Energy demolished the boiler house of the Trenton Channel coal-fired plant, which powered Michigan for 100 years. The coal-burning power plant was retired in 2022. Until they were demolished in March, the Trenton Channel site also featured two 600-foot tall red-and-white striped smokestacks that had long been a local landmark.

The 535 MW Trenton Channel plant was completed in 1924. At the time of its commissioning, it was the fourth major power plant Detroit Edison (now DTE Energy) put into operation and the largest project the company had undertaken. At one point, with the expansion of the coal-burning plant in 1950, the facility generated 1,060 MW of energy.