Prospects for Solar – Storage Combination Still Cloudy
The deployment of solar energy in tandem with energy storage solutions has a fair few obstacles to overcome yet, before reaching mainstream status. At first blush, Germany’s recent photovoltaic storage subsidy suggests that the solar-backed storage is well on its way to being commercially viable. But is it really? For one, inverter technologies have still to catch up with the integration of energy storage technologies, and are at price points that remain inaccessible to most. Second, like their module providers counterparts, suppliers of batteries must pass high bankability standards, which could be somewhat onerous. Even if project developers are sufficiently satisfied to look into the solar-storage combination, there remains the crucial consideration of its economic viability. The high cost of batteries represents a challenging terrain that the industry must navigate, in addition to the difficulty in technical integration of energy storage solutions.
While most (if not all) industry observers and players expect solar energy and storage technologies to converge in due course, exactly when it will materialise is less amenable to predictions.
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