Liquid Metal batteries? More voodoo? or perhaps part of a bigger picture...

[kwilcox]

I hope you're right Russ. I'm not enthusiastic given WE Energies tactics lately though. They're tossing a whole budding new industry out the door with their draconian tactics. If there's a breakthrough, I'm plugging it in and those disenfranchised renewable installers in SE Wisconsin will too. I was deluged with people asking me about storage solutions at the Rate Case meeting. They're in the same boat. I'd rather see WE Energies selling me storage but they want no part of it. Maybe that will change if a real breakthrough happens. But will it be too late then? Will micro grids already be taking off then? There's a lot of angry people in WI who just want to tell the POCO to stick it where the sun doesn't shine (pun intended).

[russ]

http://www.ambri.com/technology/Grid defection is going to be a very real thing in the near future. POCOs need to embrace this with affordable storage solutions and a smart grid that can autonomously store and release energy IMHO or they will face a death spiral of defections that will fracture the grid.

http://investor.enphase.com/released...leaseID=877216

The research into batteries is hardly new. The gov and companies have been pouring many millions into it for many years. A tough nut to crack.

Who do you think will use the energy storage and pave the way for the residential customer? The big boys meaning the utilities. They can time shift generation it is a huge thing to them.

Death spiral only in your mind.

[kwilcox]

http://www.ambri.com/technology/

Seems too good to be true. However, one interesting thing I've noticed lately is the sheer volume of "new technology" research going on. This is encouraging; something is going to shake out of this in the very near future. POCO hostility toward renewable generation can't be hurting this effort either. Case in point: Enphase is in the game now too.

Grid defection is going to be a very real thing in the near future. POCOs need to embrace this with affordable storage solutions and a smart grid that can autonomously store and release energy IMHO or they will face a death spiral of defections that will fracture the grid.

http://investor.enphase.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=877216