Apricum articles
Our view on the latest developments in the cleantech industry.
Gearing up for power on wheels: battery buffered charging stations
Adding a battery to an electric vehicle charging station can help to “buffer” the power required from the grid, thus avoiding peaks and related grid constraints or costly charges. Consequently, additional demand for stationary storage is triggered – but what needs to be considered to successfully seize this new market opportunity?
Gearing up for power on wheels: what will be the true impact of e-mobility on stationary energy storage? Part 1: Vehicle-to-grid
The emergence of electric vehicles is not only shaking up the automotive industry. Through the increased electrification of the transport sector, a growing interlink to the power market is being established, leading to both new opportunities and challenges for stationary energy storage players.
Renewables 2.0 – Opportunities in renewables in a post-subsidy world
Substantial flows of investment into renewables has brought about significant reductions in the cost of delivered energy, while simultaneously increasing the penetration of renewables in most markets. These developments herald the rise of Renewables 2.0, a...
Renewables 2.0: Preparing for the new complexity of renewable energy in a post-subsidy world
As the deployment of renewable energy continues to expand around the world driven by various inputs such as capital allocation and investment, falling capital costs, competitive LCOE and various policy mechanisms, we are now moving towards a new era for renewable...
Dentists, clouds and virtual batteries – how residential energy storage providers can drive market uptake in Germany
The global residential storage market has been picking up momentum recently, with installation growth rates soaring in many geographies such as Australia, the USA — and particularly Germany.
Apricum turns 10: Interview with Founder Nikolai Dobrott
At the end of this month, Apricum will celebrate its 10 year anniversary. In this interview, we ask Apricum Founder and Managing Partner Nikolai Dobrott about the early days of setting up Apricum, some memorable moments and what lies beyond this 10 year milestone....
Cobalt crunch? Dealing with the battery industry’s looming supply challenges for cobalt
The global battery market is booming. Car makers all over the world are pledging to electrify their fleets completely or to a large extent in the coming years. Battery-powered consumer electronics – laptops, tablets and smart phones – are more popular and affordable...
How renewables will drive a power sector shakeup in Southeast Asia and why utilities should care
The need to install additional power generation continues to be one of the most relevant issues in Southeast Asia. It’s a region with GDP growth rates of above 6% p.a. during the past decade[1] and where around one-fifth of its population (~25% larger than that of the...
Strong Tailwinds Ahead – the Case for Wind Plus Energy Storage
When people think about combining energy storage with renewable energy, they typically think of adding batteries to PV systems, be it roof-top panels on a home in Germany or multi‑GW utility‑scale installations in the deserts of the MENA region. However, we are...
The Hungry Dragon: Explaining China’s 50 GW+ PV Market in 2017
At the beginning of 2017, the big question regarding solar in China was whether they could repeat the stunning ~35 GW performance of 2016. Yet, over the course of the year, the question transformed, quite surreally, to whether China would hit the 50 GW mark in 2017 –...
The MENA region – the next hot market for energy storage?
Oct 12, 2017: Article updated to include a reference to CSP with storage The global market for stationary battery energy storage is set to experience tremendous growth by 2025 of about 30 times its current size. This is expected to come mainly from the “usual...
The German Secondary Control Reserve market: Will recent regulatory updates finally pave the way for energy storage?
Germany’s Secondary Control Reserve (SCR) market has attracted significant interest from many energy storage players in the past. Requiring minimum energy capacities of at least four hours and energy delivery for even longer periods, the SCR market particularly...