A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) notes that while it is still uncertain whether sodium-ion batteries will become a disruptive alternative to lithium-ion technology, they could offer significant cost-saving opportunities in applications such as electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage. November 28, 2025 Patrick Jowett Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) could offer a promising cost-reduction alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), according to a report from the...

A football club based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, has opened a tender for the supply and installation of a 80 kW solar array alongside 40 kW of battery storage. The deadline for applications is November 30. November 20, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: pv magazine Greater Manchester-based Avro football club is searching for a contractor to supply and install a solar-plus-battery storage system. Available tender details state the selected contractor will be required to provide a complete turnkey sol...

Aurora Energy Research says regulatory shifts in Czechia are creating strong short-term revenue prospects for utility-scale battery storage, with a two-hour system commissioned next year projected to earn an internal rate of return above 15%. November 17, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: NGEN From ESS News Czechia’s battery storage capacity is set to reach 6 GWh by the end of the decade, up from around 2.3 GWh today, according to analysis by Aurora Energy Research. The country’s current battery fl...

Finland has inaugurated the world’s largest sand battery, a 1 MW/100 MWh thermal storage system developed by Polar Night Energy. The unit is already exceeding efficiency targets. August 28, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: Polar Night Energy Finland has inaugurated the world’s largest sand battery this week, a 1 MW/100 MWh thermal storage system developed by Polar Night Energy. The industrial-scale unit in Pornainen began operating in June after district heating company Loviisan Lämpö commis...

Gentari Renewables Australia is developing 243 MW of solar alongside 172 MW/409 MWh of battery energy storage in the state of New South Wales. The project is scheduled to begin commercial operations in early 2027. August 14, 2025 Patrick Jowett Image: Gentari Renewables Australia Gentari Renewables Australia has broken ground on the Maryvale Solar & Energy Storage project in New South Wales, Australia. The project will include 243 MW of solar capacity and a 172 MW/409 MWh battery energy sto...

Electric utility company St Lucia Electricity Services is set to tender a 10 MW solar project with accompanying battery energy storage later this year. July 14, 2025 Patrick Jowett...

Finnish startup Polar Night Energy has commissioned the world’s largest sand battery in Pornainen, southern Finland. The industrial-scale system delivers 1 MW of thermal power with 100 MWh storage capacity, covering up to a month’s summer heat demand and nearly a week’s winter demand for the local district heating network. June 11, 2025 Patrick Jowett Pornainen Sand Battery Mikko Paajanen, CEO of Loviisan Lämpö, said the municipality is aiming to be climate neutral by 2035 and “the san...