It looks like my September 22nd article Energy Storage Opportunities After the Market Carnage was a little bit premature. But before getting into the details of how the energy storage sector is faring on October 12, 2008, I need to apologize to ZBB Energy Corp. (ZBB) because I incorrectly reported that they were late in their SEC filings in my September 1st article Opportunities in Energy Storage Stocks. My mistake was simple. I missed the fact that ZBB has a June 30 a fiscal year and its next report wasn’t due until the end of September. The company filed its annual report with the SEC a few days later and appears to be in solid financial condition with 18 months of operating cash. I am sorry for the mistake. 

ZBB is a transition stage manufacturer of zinc bromine flow batteries and the clear leader in the “hours of discharge time” product class. Their pre-production prototypes are priced in the $600 per kWh range and will compete primarily with pumped hydro and compressed air storage. There is no question that pumped hydro and compressed air will be the technologies of choice for utility-scale diurnal storage installations. But when it comes to small-scale storage for homes, businesses and remote villages, flow batteries like ZBB’s are likely to be the best choice. Given its financial strength, cost advantages to users, tax credit eligibility in solar installations and strong position in a critical energy storage niche, I think ZBB has solid upside potential.