January 2015: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has published a report and 12 case studies on battery storage systems and their potential to integrate variable renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, onto the power grid. The report, titled ‘Battery Storage for Renewables: Market Status and Technology Outlook,’ illustrates: that battery storage technologies for renewable energy are cost competitive for island and rural applications; and the market for battery storage combined with rooftop solar panels is growing very fast.

The report provides an overview of battery storage technologies and applications for integrating renewables into the power grid, with examples from islands, off-grid solar photovoltaics (PV) and grids with variable shares of renewable energy. It also includes a section on battery storage in the power sector, which provides a market overview, an analysis of battery types and illustrations from Japan and the US.

The case studies include examples of projects in Angola, China, Federated States of Micronesia, Germany, Japan, Qatar and the US. The case study in Angola presents island/off-grid lighting for a school that previously lacked lighting and electricity. By adding lighting, the school will be able to stay open later and provide more services. Lighting four classrooms for up to eight hours per day will cost an estimated US$2 per day.

The Micronesia case study focuses on solar PV storage in five flooded led-acid battery installations, which are providing greater electricity access and displacing diesel generation. Other cases include: island/off-grid solar PV integration in Qatar; battery storage support for household solar PV in Germany; and battery storage for integrating wind into the power grid in China, Japan and the US. Publication: Battery Storage for Renewables: Market Status and Technology Outlook] [Battery Storage Case Studies]