Mercom Capital Group’s second quarter 2015 report into VC funding in the energy storage, smart grid and energy efficiency sectors made for interesting reading for the battery and storage space. As PV Tech Storage noted on 21 July from the report, VC funding almost doubled over the first quarter of the year and the sector saw Arnold Schwarzenegger put his money where his green credentials are, bringing some celebrity investor gloss to the proceedings. PV Tech Storage spoke to Mercom Capital chief Raj Prabhu to delve deeper into the statistics.
The man who will host the UK’s first Tesla Powerwall in his home has said the British residential energy storage industry needs to avoid “false starts” which could result in “lots of inappropriately installed systems”.
GE’s intention to move into the energy storage industry is a further sign that the sector is maturing, a leading analyst has said.
A push by US leasing giant SolarCity to serve small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with its commercial solar offering will be bolstered by a tie-in with the company’s energy storage solutions, a spokesman has confirmed.
A programme to re-configure New York’s energy networks, including a comprehensive evaluation of energy storage, could provide “valuable lessons” for other parts of the world, according to the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology consortium (NY BEST).
Renewables policy in the UK is in a state of flux, to say the least. PV Tech Storage’s Andy Colthorpe spoke to UK solar industry veteran Ray Noble about how and why this may be the perfect time for storage to shine in British households.
UK energy and climate secretary Amber Rudd has spoken of her excitement of the “fantastic opportunity” posed by combining energy storage solutions with solar PV.
Some news in brief from around the world of energy storage this week: Manz underlines positive assessment of energy storage sector with US$55 million deals, Sonnenbatterie backs US push with investment from INVEN Capital, local sources report AES wants to build 250MW of projects in Philippines.
Venture capital (VC) funding for battery and energy storage companies totalled US$126 million in the second quarter of this year, almost doubling Q1’s US$69 million total raised, according to a report from Mercom Capital Group.
At a recent London event hosted by UK storage manufacturer Moixa Technology, academic Jonathan Radcliffe of the University of Birmingham talks through some of the benefits – and barriers – to storage in the UK, as well as the wider implications for adding flexibility to electricity networks with batteries and related technologies.
