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Energy - Big
Moves in Batteries,
Solar to Shine
WHY THEY ARE IMPORTANT
Solar
energy capacity is expected to grow relentlessly, and so a
growth
of nearly 30% does not look overly significant. But reaching
a major milestone needs to be recorded.
This
growth in capacity will someday be slowed down if storage
technologies
do not advance, as the grid can become unstable if it
depends
too much on solar energy. This year has seen some break
throughs
that could make good grid storage possible soon. Finally,
advances
in fusion power also brought some cheer, although this
technology
is still a long way off from being commercial.
But
thinking long term is the basis of the Paris agreement.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016
Solar
power will continue to advance, and we could also see more efficient
solar cells in the market. Panasonic, for
example, is preparing to launch a
solar
panel of efficiencies in excess of 22%. Solar microgrids will increase
in
number, especially in India. Wind power capacity is also expected to
increase,
as wind turbines start moving higher, although no major technical
breakthrough
is expected in this sector. The most interesting development
of the
year, however, could be in batteries. Labs around the world are
developing
batteries using aluminium instead of lithium, a material that
is known to be a fire hazard. Fuji Pigment,
for example, is expected to
launch
an aluminium air battery soon. Tesla's big battery factory is also
expected
to start production this year. Apart from all these, considering the
gamut
of research happening in this sector, we could hope for a pleasant
surprise
as well.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2015
Several
interesting results from nuclear fusion experiments, some from
Privately
funded companies
Solar
energy installations grew between 25% and 30%, supposedly taking
the
global capacity above 200 gigwatts
New
kinds of batteries were made in the lab, including aluminium ion and
lithium
air that look promising
The
world's first commercial wave energy project was launched off the
coast
of Australia
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ET5DEC16
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