With the electric car business taking longer than expected to get off the ground, battery manufacturers are turning an increasing amount of attention to grid storage projects to pick up the slack. Ener1
The project will help AES manage fluctuations in the electrical system, allowing the generator to sell more of the power it produces to the grid. This is important partly because renewable power sources will need the same type of energy management to deliver a consistent power source to the grid. If batteries can prove to be effective in managing supply and demand fluctuations, they could be a standard part of managing a more renewable electrical grid in the future.
And momentum is starting to pick up. This is the second such development with AES in Chile, so the first project must have been a success. Don't count on annual orders just yet, but a repeat customer is the first step to this becoming a consistent business. Grid storage/management projects are still relatively small for now. A123 has shipped just 35 MW of advanced energy storage units worldwide, but the potential is big. With more renewable projects, the electric supply swings will also increase and batteries may be able to provide just the buffer that's needed.
As Valence Technology
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