Lithium-ion prices down 70%, opening up storage market opportunities
Stem: Lithium-ion prices down 70%, opening up storage market opportunities
By Robert Walton | June 30, 2016
Dive Brief:
- Greentech Media spoke with Stem Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Larsh Johnson, who revealed the company has seen a 70% decline in lithium-ion battery prices in the last year and a half, helping to open up new markets for storage that were inaccessible at higher price points.
- Stem has now installed 68 MWh of commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage, as improvements to energy density and discharge have attracted attention for their potential in providing grid services.
- GTM Research predicts average li-ion costs to decline to $217/KWh by 2020, but some battery makers are already below those prices, analysts say.
Dive Insight:
A decline in storage prices is expected to set off a boom similar to the solar industry, as panel costs fell, but several key companies are already finding lower prices and more opportunity as the technology advances.
"Its happening. The capacity is out there," Stem CTO Larsh Johnson told GTM. Prices are down 70% in the last 18 months, and "the momentum continues...There are new markets opening up because of what we've seen in battery pricing."....
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/stem-lithium-ion-prices-down-70-opening-up-storage-market-opportunities/421857/