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UTILITY WEEK | 20TH - 26TH MAY 2016 | 21 Operations & Assets Non-domestic storage The storage revolution is also taking hold in the non- domestic sector. Eon has begun a research project in Somerset with a logistics company to understand how storage can work with the 5kW/40kWh solar PV system currently installed. It aims to smooth out the peaks and troughs of the output of the PV panels, provide energy to charge the com- pany's vehicles overnight, and minimise the energy taken from the grid at periods of high prices. Eon is working with energy storage business RedT, which has plans to install 19 seeding units into commercial properties globally. It is not the only player in the large energy storage arena. Camborne Energy Storage, fresh from agreeing two new partnerships, is keen to rollout solutions to grid, distribution systems and large-scale energy users. Large-scale storage is already being tested – and UK Power Networks is heading into the final six months of its smart energy storage trial in Leighton Buzzard. The core tri- als have already been completed and revealed that battery storage "can be used in multiple applications in order to make it more commercially viable". The key in this area is overcoming the regulatory bar- riers and allowing the technology to be used for multiple applications, and therefore have multiple income streams, to allow it to be more widely developed across the UK. Using EVs to offer backup storage to the grid Japanese automotive giant Nissan has unveiled plans to connect 100 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) units across the UK in the first ever trial of electric vehicles as mobile energy storage. Nissan will place the V2G units at locations across the country agreed to by private and fleet owners of the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 electric van, giving them the opportunity to plug in their vehicles and sell energy stored in their vehicle battery back to the system. If all Nissan EVs in the UK were connected to the grid, they would generate the equivalent output of 180MW, helping to balance the grid in the process. revolution. The company launched its third equity round last month, aiming to raise £1 million and to sell 50,000 units by 2020 in the UK. The company tells Utility Week it is now working on a project with Nissan and no doubt we can expect news of many more alliances, acquisitions and strategic partner- ships in coming months, as those with big ambitions in the storage market seek to posi- tion themselves to advantage. These alliances will not only be in the domestic energy storage market. At the big- ger end of the storage game, Eon and RedT are already working together to trial a larger- scale storage system at the headquarters of warehousing and logistics company JB Wheaton in Somerset, as part of a bid to understand the potential for improved pay- back on solar PV installations. In the utility-scale storage arena, solu- tions being tested in distribution network innovation projects – like UK Power Net- works' (UKPN's) Leighton Buzzard scheme – will find themselves head to head with solutions from the likes of Tesla, which has announced plans to deploy super-sized Pow- erwall devices in the Republic of Ireland. It is still uncertain whether distribution network operators will be able to participate directly in this dynamic new marketplace, but on the back of results from the Leighton Buzzard trial UKPN reported that "not only can battery storage be used in multiple appli- cations but, commercially, it should be". A consultation by Ofgem and the Depart- ment of Energy and Climate change on regulatory barriers to storage deployment, including the ability of distribution compa- nies to own and operate storage, is currently ongoing and will issue a definitive list of reforms in the spring of 2017. But with jug- gernauts like Nissan, Eon and Tesla weigh- ing into the market, as well as increasing amounts of venture capital pouring into entrepreneurs such as Moixa and Pow- ervault, market forces are clearly building a head of steam. It is now almost certain that we can expect energy storage to become a business as usual feature of the energy sys- tem very soon. "We see Nissan EVs being mobile energy, pioneering a self-sustaining energy infrastructure that will help solve the capacity issues of the future." Paul Willcox, chairman, Nissan Europe The global uptake in EVs is contributing to the price rise of materials used to make lithium batteries, according to informa- tion specialist Roskill. 20% increase in price of hydroxide in 2015. 300% increase in demand for lithium from the battery industry by 2025. 37% total global consumption of lithium batteries in rechargeable batteries in 2015. 30% amount of the lithium-ion battery market accounted for solely by EVs. LITHIUM SHORTAGE During high peaks, electric vehicles can give back power to support the national infrastructure, stabilising the amount of energy drawn collectively by using the car as a personal power station. The smart integration of electric vehicles in the grid will radically change the energy landscape. Through innovative charging technology developed in partnership with Enel, each Nissan LEAF owner can actively contribute to the stability of their national grid and the further penetration of renewable energy sources. During the day, solar energy can be used to power the home and charge the Nissan LEAF When there is a disruption of solar production, the Nissan LEAF can complement the supply from the grid to reduce peaks or help to stabilise the grid performance in terms of frequency and voltage levels. During off-peak times at night, you can re- charge your car while little energy is needed in your home, helping to drive demand for lower cost energy from renewables sources. Grid Grid Grid Home Home PM AM Solar power Solar power Solar power Power to the grid More stable energy Power to the people Better grid stability 2 days of household electricity V2G Power to the grid More stable energy for all Evening Disruption Daytime Day Night Vehicle-to-grid Off-peak