This is one in a series presenting news on technology and innovation, made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation.

What powers the device you’re using? Electricity, obviously. But where did that come from? Two thirds of the electricity used in the United States comes from power plants fueled by fossil fuels — coal, oil or natural gas. Solar energy produces just 1.3 percent of the electricity. Yet energy from the sun could easily power our every need if it could be stored for use when the sun doesn’t shine (such as at night). Researchers in Sweden now think they might have a way to do just that.

Explainer: Understanding light and electromagnetic radiation

As a chemical engineer, Kasper Moth-Poulsen uses chemistry and physics to design solutions to problems. He works at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. He teamed up with other researchers in Sweden and Spain to tackle the problem of storing energy from the sun. Their solution: Store that energy inside the bonds of molecules that have been suspended in a liquid.

Molecules consist of two or more atoms. Those atoms share electrons through bonds that hold them together.

Different types of molecules have distinct 3-D shapes. For example, methane is shaped like a three-sided pyramid called a tetrahedron (Teh-tra-HE-drun). Other molecules have different shapes. Adding energy to a molecule can alter its shape. New bonds may now form between its atoms — ones that may hold different amounts of energy. When a molecule later absorbs energy, that energy can become trapped within those new bonds.

As the world pivots toward lithium-based economies, the role of a high-performance Battery Management System has become a non-negotiable requirement for industrial scalability. These systems provide the necessary safeguards and data-driven insights to ensure that massive investments in battery hardware yield the expected returns. The Battery Management System market was valued at USD 7.82 Billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to USD 28.15 Billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.4% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is driven by the need for enhanced reliability in critical infrastructure, where any downtime or safety incident can result in catastrophic financial and reputational losses.

Capitalizing on the Battery Management System market opportunity

Investors and developers are increasingly identifying the Battery Management System market opportunity as a vital entry point into the renewable energy value chain. Unlike the volatile commodities market for raw materials like lithium or cobalt, the management system segment offers high-margin potential through software licensing and specialized hardware components. This opportunity is particularly visible in the telecommunications and data center industries, where backup power systems are transitioning from lead-acid to lithium-ion. These sectors require highly localized and intelligent management solutions that can integrate seamlessly with existing building management software, creating a robust secondary market for BMS technologies.

Structural Shifts in Power Management Architectures

The industry is currently moving from centralized to decentralized management architectures to improve fault tolerance and scalability. Modular systems allow for greater flexibility in pack design, enabling designers to tailor energy solutions for everything from micro-mobility to massive cargo vessels. This architectural shift is accompanied by improvements in isolation technology and high-accuracy sensing, which allow for safer operation at higher voltages. As power densities increase, the management system's ability to accurately monitor temperature gradients and voltage differentials becomes the primary factor in preventing thermal runaway, making it the most critical safety component in the entire energy stack.

Anticipating Future Trends and Regulatory Standards

The 88,000 lb. Machine Keeping the Lights On

Flywheel energy storage has always been possible, just not commercially available. Well, now it is. It does not work for long-term energy storage, is great for stabilizing the grid during the day time. It can be used equally well to reserve solar power for nighttime, and for saving off-peak generation for peak usage.

Turing to renewable energy, will the world However, power storage is increasingly responsible for, services has never been more crucial. Sustainable energy depends on power storage, of which system plays a key role in shaping the going affect. Whether it makes optimal use out hundreds of leakage data bundles as numerous other reasons go wrong. This blog will look at the importance of power storage, different types power storage technology currently available, and its impact on the energy landscape.

The Importance of Power Storage

Although renewable energy sources are both abundant and clean, Unfortunately also not that they are regular power resources. Solar energy, wind power and are both dependent route. The availability times in which these energy sources operate cannot always be lined up with periods of high load demand.

A power storage system supplemented with electricity from power plants and combined-cycle takes-up this time shortfall Solar batteries contain absorbed white sunlight cells The since II window fraction float panels over rooftop base by themselves time again Multi-crystalline silicon as scientific variety of These switching power switching, charge and peripheral ideas Any can be made real through applicable machine technology. Electric technologies are also given particular attention in this blog.

Types of Power Storage Technologies

Batteries: Batteries are both energy concentrated and low cost power storage tools at least for non-large-scale residential use. Lithium-ion batteries are a good example by their energy density, efficiency and long service life. They are widely used in home energy storage systems as well as large network systems.

Pumped Hydro Storage: Pumped hydro storage is actually the major form of power storage in terms of capacity. High zone water is pumped to a higher elevation at times of low energy consumption and then allowed to drop generate electricity, periods when power demand is greater. The technology has a high energy storage efficiency, so it is suited to handle large energy storage.

Thermal Storage: Energy is stored in the form of heat. Various materials can be used to do this, such as molten salt which can hold on to heat for a long time. Thermal storage is often used in conjunction with solar thermal power plants, so they can generate electricity even when the sun isn't shining.

Flywheels: Flywheels store energy in the form of rotational kinetic energy. They can quickly unzip the energy stored in them, so are useful for applications that require short sharp bursts of power. Flywheels are often used in grid stabilization and frequency regulation.

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES): CAES compresses air to store energy that is then stored in underground caverns or tanks. When the energy is needed, the compressed air is released and used to produce electricity. CAES is another large-scale storage option that can provide grid support during peak demand periods.

Impact of Power Storage on the Energy Landscape

Grid Stability: Power storage systems have a crucial role in keeping the grid stable, especially as more and more renewable energy sources are integrated. By storing excess energy and releasing it at times of high demand, storage systems help balance supply with demand. They thus reduce the danger of blackouts and enhance overall grid reliability.

Renewable Energy Integration: Power storage makes it possible to link growing amounts of renewable energy to the grid. It permits renewable energy be used efficiently, reducing the need for fossil fuel-based electricity generation and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy Independence: Power storage systems offer individuals and businesses a greater degree of independence in energy supply. By storing the energy produced by renewable sources, users can reduce their dependence on the grid - and shelter themselves from rising electricity costs.

Introduction

India is chasing the dream of 100 % rural household electrification to be achieved before April 2019. The efforts taken are humongous, especially after the roll-out of Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – popularized as the Saubhagya Scheme. 

The scheme was rolled out in September 2017, with an aim to electrify 3 crore households by March 2019. The total outlay of this scheme is around 16000 crores of which 14000 crores is allocated for rural household electrification. 

The earlier released Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana for electrification using microgrids came to a conclusion in April 2018.

Previous to Saubhagya, electrification was done and accounted at the village level. The major drawback was that even when only 10% of the village was electrified, the village was listed as electrified.

 This resulted in a large population remaining unelectrified, especially in Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. So, the Saubhagya scheme was rolled out to achieve household-level electrification. However, the scheme is often critiqued by many as a number game especially as elections are around the corner. 

 However, this article is not a debate over the credibility of the numbers but is just sharing some stories and accounts around the installation of solar PV stand-alone systems implemented at over 500,000 households in 2018.

 Stand-alone Household Solar PV systems – the ground story

The Saubhagya Scheme is focused at providing electricity supply to rural households and unelectrified urban households- through grid expansion, microgrids, and home lanterns, and standalone home systems.

 Of the 30 million households to be electrified under the scheme less than 1 million were under the solar home lighting systems and the rest eligible households are to b electrified through grid expansion and interestingly in 2018 most of them have been tendered with Li-ion batteries.

There were instances when 9000 of the 10,000 supplied solar home lighting systems have failed in a particular village within a week of operation. Interestingly one of the villages was already electrified by a private microgrid player but still, it was re-electrified under the scheme. In another state, hundreds of these systems caught fire and started overheating within months of installation. 

Not all the State Nodal Agencies are perturbed by the early failures, as the tender documents have asked for five years replacement warranty for all standalone systems installed under the scheme.

 But the effective implementation of this requirement is a challenge at this scale, which could have been avoided with the effective specification of the batteries. The households are seldom aware of whom to contact in case of a failed lamp and doubtful of bearing the expenses for replacement/repair

The introduction of a new battery technology without much focus on performance parameters in the tendering document has allowed many not so recognized battery companies to participate in the bids and not surprisingly, these companies have submitted the lowest quotes. 

Lastly as noted by many tender participants and tendering authority, 40,000 INR was estimated as the cost for a complete home lighting system with 200 W solar panel and 1 kWh of Li-ion battery with few accessories like a bulb and mobile chargers. However, many of the L1 participants quote over 20% less than this estimated price.

 Industry participants believe that such price is only possible if Li-ion packs of 1 kWh can be sold less than $230 per kWh, which was practically not possible as the market was buying such packs at a price of $280-300 per kWh.

The industry believes that some of the bad or used cells were also passed on through this scheme and in some cases, the battery packs were bought back from the villagers and sold in the urban markets.

 State Nodal Agencies have taken strict action against many such defaulters, however, such cases could be avoided in the future with higher technology and participation criteria in the tender documents. India Energy Storage Alliance mentions that over 600 MWh of Li-ion battery was sold through this scheme in just one year with pack size ranging from 20 Ah, 40 Ah to 100 Ah at 12.8 V and the alliance feels that it can contribute in better selection for upcoming schemes like solar pumps and induction cooking.

Can microgrids return after Saubhagaya?

Extending the existing grid to the nearest unelectrified village is the major electrification process under Saubhagya. 98% of the CAPEX allocation under the Saubhagya scheme is for this last-mile connectivity.

 While this is a costlier option, for many remote cases, than the distribution of solar lanterns or the construction of microgrids, the government insists on this method as the problems arising from the operational failures of solar lamps or microgrids haven been stated as a key concern.

Under CES MICRO (Microgrid Initiative of Rural and Campus Opportunities), over 35 microgrids with different battery technologies were monitored at different phases of their life. The first analysis capacity of the battery (in terms of percentage) was recorded against the age of battery banks at these sites.

As shown in the following figure, most of the batteries monitored under were operating below 80% of the rated capacity just after six months of installation. While during modeling capacity of over 80% is expected for at least 5 years of the life of the battery. Such degradation at off-grid solar plants has led to a general consensus that these systems do not work.