Energy storage that never breaks down

How does energy storage work?

Currently, about 95% of the long-duration energy storage in the United States consists of pumped-storage hydropower: water is pumped from one reservoir to another at higher elevation, and when it’s released later, it runs through turbines to generate electricity on its way back down. This simple method works well but is limited by geography.

How long does energy storage last?

BloombergNEF reported a global total of 1.4 gigawatts and 8.2 gigawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage as of last September, excluding pumped hydro. The average duration, which you can calculate by dividing gigawatt-hours by gigawatts, was 5.9 hours.

Can long-duration storage help decarbonize the electricity system?

The Department of Energy has identified the need for long-duration storage as an essential part of fully decarbonizing the electricity system, and, in 2021, set a goal that research, development and investment would help to reduce the costs of the technologies by 90 percent in a decade.

Why is energy storage important?

As the report details, energy storage is a key component in making renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, financially and logistically viable at the scales needed to decarbonize our power grid and combat climate change.

How can we store energy?

The work is still at the crowdfunding stage. Just as you can store potential energy by lifting a block in the air, you can store it thermally, by heating things up. Companies are banking heat in molten salt, volcanic rocks, and other materials. Giant batteries, based on renewable chemical processes, are also workable.

How long can a battery store energy?

Handling the fluctuating power production of renewables will require cheap storage for hours or even days at a time. New types of iron-based batteries might be up to the task. Oregon-based ESS, whose batteries can store energy for between four and 12 hours, launched its first grid-scale projects in 2021.