Summary: We store energy in many parts of our lives, in laptop batteries or in the insulation in our houses. But the energy grid we use has very little storage, despite tremendous potential cost savings.
This section explores the options for large-scale storage and the that it would have.
very time the demand changes, the amount of energy being produced must change, and the higher the demand, the less efficient of plants that are used. This whole system is very wasteful and could be made much more efficient if a given amount of energy were produced and then excess stored until it is needed. This makes the amount of energy needed more predictable. In addition to this, many renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, have variations in the amount of energy supplied, so storage must be possible in order to ensure electricity delivery at all times. As
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\"The ability (or lack thereof) of the grid to take in all that new renewable power ranks as one of the main near-term risks to the growth of the alt energy sector, and cost-effective storage could go a long way in alleviating grid concerns\". Grid operators can use storage systems to flatten the load curve, improve power quality (voltage sags, flicker, surges), to provide line stability, and for Power Oscillating Damping. Energy storage can also be used for
restoring power after a black out, or as a long term energy reserve. A number of different technologies can be used for long term energy storage:
- CH4 - Natural Gas
- Pumped Water
- Batteries
- Compressed Air
- Thermal
- Flywheel
- Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage
- Hydrogen
- Supercapacitors
Details of each of these can be found in the science section.