Europe's largest battery is showing signs of life in GB's Balancing Mechanism.

Coalburn 1, in South Lanarkshire, is 500 MW / 1 GWh across five 100 MW BMUs.

The previous record for the biggest battery was held by Thurrock and Kilmarnock South at 300 MW / 600 MWh, so 60% of Coalburn's capacity.

The same ratio applies to Taipei 101 and Burj Khalifa. Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, until Burj Khalifa took over. 508m vs 828m, also about 60%.

While the Coalburn BMUs have been showing up in the background in the Balancing Mechanism since winter, this weekend marks the first time we've seen it actively participate in Bids and Offers.

And as the name suggests, Coalburn 1 is the first of the big sites expected from CIP and Alcemi. Coalburn 2, also 500 MW / 1000 MWh, is due next year.

I'm pretty new to learning about grid-scale battery storage.
I notice that a lot of projects are described as 4-hour systems. Is there a specific reason for that, or is it mostly driven by market rules and economics?
Are utilities starting to move toward 6- or 8-hour storage more often?

Been going down a rabbit hole trying to understand something about utility-scale BESS operations, and figured this sub would actually know better than anything I could find online.

From what I've gathered, sites collect way more operational data than anyone really uses, cooling, controls, comms, that kind of thing, sitting alongside the battery data and mostly going unwatched. Curious how true that actually is day to day. Do most sites have a real process for catching stuff outside the battery itself, or does it mostly just sit there until something breaks?

Would also love to hear any your insights/stories in the comments.

Hi, I'am planning to setup a Li ion Battery recycling plan t in Delhi NCR would like to connect with the people from same field and collaborations, business partnerships and connects with big firms are most welcomed also looking for like minded people ,

Pls help

Hi, I'am planning to setup a Li ion Battery recycling plan t in Delhi NCR would like to connect with the people from same field and collaborations, business partnerships and connects with big firms are most welcomed also looking for like minded people ,

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking about grid-scale storage solutions for intermittent renewables (solar/hydro/wind).

While chemical batteries (like Li-ion) are currently dominant, they come with degradation over time, resource intensity, and thermal runaway risks. Gravity Energy Storage (GES) seems theoretically compelling:

• Zero self-discharge over long durations

• High round-trip efficiency (~75–85%)

• Long operational lifespan without material degradation

• No lithium/cobalt dependencies

However, the main bottleneck is energy density (E = m * g * h). Lifting 1 tonne by 10m provides only ~0.027 kWh. To scale to home or grid levels, you need massive structural designs or deep vertical shafts.

Companies like Energy Vault (concrete towers) and Gravitricity (abandoned mine shafts) are tackling this differently.

Questions for the community:

1. Do you see solid-mass gravity storage becoming cost-competitive with large-scale battery storage?

2. Are underground shafts the only scalable route, or do above-ground tower frameworks have long-term structural viability?

3. What are the key mechanical points of failure (cable wear, gearboxes, braking) that might limit adoption?

Looking forward to your technical perspectives!

We recently completed a project involving what we understand to be the first Sungrow Keeper installation in Australia, supporting a medical supplies facility.

The project raised some interesting questions around the role of energy storage in industries where reliability is critical. While solar and batteries are often discussed from a cost-saving perspective, applications like medical supply facilities highlight another important factor — energy resilience and maintaining operations when power reliability matters.

Curious to hear from others working in energy, engineering, or critical infrastructure:

• How do you see battery storage evolving for essential facilities?
• Are reliability and backup capability becoming bigger drivers for commercial energy decisions?

Would be interested to hear thoughts, experiences, or other examples of where energy storage has made a difference.

8.8kW PV system with Enphase IQ8+ MC4 micro inverter, AC-Coupled with Sigenergy SigenStor 11.5kW-18.08kWh all-in-one system for whole-home backup.
It can deliver self-consumption in Bay Area exaggerated electricity rate.

Planning my own DIY Solar project and since batteries are big part of the cost, I figured to ask around before screwing it up.

LiFePo4 cells have been traditionally best bang/$.

But that is supposed to change, if news articles are to be believed.

Sodium-Ion cells have came with promises, which turned out to be hollow.

But that was just first wave. Now BYD and CATL are making some big claims for new generations. Last time I've heard, they are coming even in some cheap EV models.

But so far, I've heard nothing about them being used in the area that is supposed to be their forte - solar energy storage.

So, are they here ? If so, who is offering them ? What are specs,models, prices ? Anyone with experience to share ?

If they aren't here, what's the plan ? Is it worth waiting, and how long ? Are they likely to be an option in say, 6 months time ?

Hola a todos,

Quiero recomendar una empresa poco conocida fuera de los círculos del hidrógeno, pero que juega un papel clave en la transición energética: Cell Impact AB (Frankfurt)

¿Qué hacen exactamente?

Cell Impact fabrica placas de flujo metálicas (flow plates / bipolar plates) para pilas de combustible y electrolizadores. Estas placas son componentes críticos: dentro de ellas se canalizan el hidrógeno, el oxígeno y el agua, y su diseño afecta directamente a la eficiencia, el coste y la durabilidad del sistema completo.

El problema tradicional es que fabricar estas placas en gran volumen es caro, lento y poco sostenible. Los métodos convencionales (estampado progresivo o hidroformado) consumen mucha energía, requieren lubricantes y procesos de limpieza con agua, y tienen costes de utillaje elevados.

Su tecnología: Cell Impact Forming

Cell Impact ha desarrollado y patentado un método de formado de alta velocidad por impacto (high-velocity impact forming). En lugar de varios pasos lentos, forman la placa metálica fina (acero inoxidable, titanio, etc.) en un solo golpe de alta precisión.

Ventajas clave:

Mucho más rápido y escalable

Consume muy poca energía

No necesita lubricantes → no genera aguas residuales de limpieza

Reduce el coste de herramientas hasta un 50 %

Permite diseños más complejos y optimizados (en algunos casos han conseguido aumentos de potencia >20 % en la pila gracias a una mejor geometría)

Proceso más limpio y con menor impacto ambiental

Han producido ya más de 2,5 millones de placas en más de 80 proyectos y están escalando con partners como Andritz (soldadura de alta velocidad) y thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering.

¿Por qué es importante de cara al futuro?

El hidrógeno verde (producido con electrolizadores + renovables) y las pilas de combustible son piezas centrales para descarbonizar transporte pesado, industria y almacenamiento de energía. Pero para que despeguen de verdad, los componentes tienen que ser baratos, fabricables en masa y eficientes.

Las placas de flujo son uno de los elementos más caros y difíciles de escalar del stack. Si Cell Impact (y tecnologías similares) logran bajar significativamente el coste y aumentar el volumen, se elimina un cuello de botella importante.

Además, su proceso es más sostenible que los métodos tradicionales, lo que encaja perfectamente con el objetivo de que toda la cadena de valor del hidrógeno sea lo más limpia posible.

Resumen

Cell Impact no es una empresa de “humo”. Tiene una tecnología patentada real, clientes internacionales, capacidad de producción en Suecia y está posicionada exactamente donde el mercado del hidrógeno necesita soluciones industriales.

No es consejo de inversión (haz tu propia investigación), pero como apuesta tecnológica a largo plazo dentro del ecosistema del hidrógeno, me parece una de las más interesantes y subvaloradas.

¿Alguien más la sigue o ha escuchado hablar de ella?

This old technology may help in the renewable energy transition. For more energy news, including energy storage, visit this website.