https://www.energytech.com/energy-storage/article/21215334/corporate-investment-in-battery-storage-jumped-290-last-year-per-mercom-report
“Corporations are betting on a energy transition future full of battery storage, investing nearly $9 billion in that premise around the world in 2021, according to the new report from Mercom Capital Group.
Mercom Capital tracks funding, mergers and acquisitions in battery storage, smart grid and energy efficiency sectors. Overall, global investment in those sectors jumped nearly three-fold to $10.1 billion last year, including capital funding, public equity market and debt financing.
Venture capital is laying out big on battery storage companies, increasing investment there more than 500 percent from $1.6 billion in 2020 to $8.8 billion. The number of deals involving battery storage firms rose from 32 to 81.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61996520
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Finnish researchers have installed the world’s first fully working “sand battery” which can store green power for months at a time.
The developers say this could solve the problem of year-round supply, a major issue for green energy.
Using low-grade sand, the device is charged up with heat made from cheap electricity from solar or wind.
The sand stores the heat at around 500C, which can then warm homes in winter when energy is more expensive.”