[SMM PV Flash] Netherlands’ 100 MW/200 MWh Antares BESS Enters Commercial Operation

Researchers at the University of Cagliari in Italy have proposed an industrial heating system that combines an air-source steam-generating heat pump with solar PV, battery energy storage and grid electricity. The system prioritises on-site solar generation to power the heat pump, while surplus PV electricity is used to charge the battery. When solar output is insufficient, electricity is supplied by the battery and the grid. Unlike conventional high-temperature heat pumps that rely on industrial waste heat, the proposed system extracts heat directly from ambient air, allowing deployment in industrial facilities without available waste heat sources. The concept could expand the role of solar and storage in industrial heat decarbonisation.

Bangladesh has approved a large grid-connected solar project paired with an eight-hour battery energy storage system, doubling the storage duration from an earlier proposal. The project will be developed near the Rampal coal-fired power plant, with part of the land originally planned for the plant’s second expansion phase to be repurposed for solar development. The long-duration battery system will allow daytime solar generation to be shifted to non-solar hours, helping support power supply and renewable energy integration. The project reflects Bangladesh’s growing focus on combining solar generation with longer-duration storage in future power infrastructure planning.

Australian renewable-energy company LGI has agreed to acquire two operating solar plants in Queensland for AU$22 million, representing 54 MWp of installed capacity and 42 MW of grid export capacity, funded through cash and an existing debt facility. The portfolio comprises the 19.9 MWp/14.7 MW export Chinchilla plant and the 34.5 MWp/27.3 MW export Brigalow plant, commissioned in 2019 and 2021 respectively, with both assets currently selling entirely into the spot market. The purchase price equates to around AU$0.5 million per MW of export capacity, below the cost of developing comparable assets, while LGI estimates annual EBITDA of AU$2.1 million to AU$4 million at current power prices. Preliminary studies are underway to add storage at both sites and use generation above export capacity for battery charging, while LGI has increased its medium-term portfolio target from 80 MW to more than 120 MW.