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EDITORIAL
Paul Crompton • paul@energystoragejournal.com
Storage in the black as supply
changes pushes it beyond
just the ‘Green’ choice
Are we at the tipping point of energy storage technology to market. The company straddles
deployment? It’s a question that will depend on the long and short-duration stationary storage
where you live. Caught in the bubble of energy — although, as the firm’s David Bradwell
storage reporting, it’s easy to think the whole told us, their long-term goal is grid-scale
world is on board with deploying renewables applications. So more a competitor of VRFB
and storage — be it electrochemical, pumped than lithium for those peak-shifting services.
hydro or one of the many alternative While new technologies and the teenagers of
chemistries making its way from the laboratory the storage industry — namely lithium and
bench to commercialization.
flow batteries — get the media attention and
In 2017, the US president Donald Trump column space, a trip to The Smarter E Europe
temporarily pricked that bubble when conference and exhibition (see page 38) gave
he withdrew his nation from the Paris a different picture of the industry. Lead acid
agreement, thumbing his nose to the other is alive and kicking — as our chat with Exide
global powerhouses committed to reducing Technologies’ Tim Vargo on page 43 shows.
greenhouse emissions. But as our cover story The point was driven home walking the
explores, individual US states are marching to exhibition halls in Munich, past stands
their own decarbonization drumbeat — with featuring the chemistry for everything from SLI
renewables penetration increases and gigawatts to grid-scale applications. One company told us
of planned energy storage. they were now producing variants on the lead
design depending on application requirements.
Everything from power costs to security of The chemistry is undoubtedly going strong, but
supply — just think of the 80MW of lithium a bigger PR push by lead companies is needed
storage deployed in the aftermath of the Aliso to change public and market opinions on the
Canyon gas leak in 2015 — are persuading granddaddy of the electrochemical industry —
states to follow in California’s renewable jet especially as safety concerns following lithium
stream. From standards to tariffs to legislation, ion fires in the US and South Korea continue to
states from the east to west coasts are realizing rise.
the benefits of integrating storage in the power
roadmaps. Of course, lead’s big claim is its recyclability. But
as our feature on page 46 testifies, lithium
A vast majority, around 90%, of the major, battery recycling has always been done. China is
MW+ storage projects are lithium ion. one step ahead of the west. Companies in the
Economies of scale, proven real world testing country are even paying for batteries as demand
and delivering grid services are the big reasons. for those key materials — lithium, cobalt and
nickel — be the world’s biggest cell makers
But there are many start-ups pushing new
technologies, such as Ambi on page 52. grows daily. It is, perhaps, the final piece of the
jigsaw that could see lithium ion dominate the
The company is aiming to bring its liquid metal storage markets for decades to come.
www.energystoragejournal.com Energy Storage Journal • Summer 2019 • 1
