How to store energy? Nowadays one of the biggest challenges is that we cannot store renewable energy effectively. What is the solution?
Energy Storage Technologies
What energy storage systems do we use?
In some cases, collecting energy only works periodically. Wind turbines work at maximum capacity if the wind is strong enough. For solar panels, sunshine is needed. Therefore, sometimes we can generate so much power that would be enough for years – and there are days, weeks, or even months when the production is not enough for the local population.
Solar and wind energy help us reduce our ecological footprint. But if a battery has low life, then we produce waste, increasing our footprint.
Let’s see how we store energy in the 21st century.
- Renewable energy storage solutions
- Renewable energy storage
It is much harder to store renewable energy than fossil fuels. Non-renewable energy only needs some ‘space’ to be stored, but green energy is stored in batteries, electric capacitors, magnetic storages – that have a lower efficiency.
Fossil fuel power storage Fossil fuels can be stored in several ways:
- Geological repositories
- Pumped energy storage
- Underwater energy stores
- Pneumatic energy storage
- Flywheels
- Steam storages
- Hydraulic energy storages
New energy storage technologies – innovation
The innovation of batteries is continuous: the technology, and the material the battery is made of are changing. Nowadays, lithium batteries are the most common, but scientists reveal that much bigger capacity could be reached with different technologies.
Today, generating electricity is even possible at home. Rooftop solar panels can collect the energy you need – in addition, overproduction can happen too. To solve this problem, there are two options:
- A proper energy storing system
- Or to avoid waste, you can transport energy to the central grid system
Keep in mind that as we produce, store and use fossil fuels for centuries, we have only started to collect green energy in the past decades.
Storing electricity – conclusion
Energy is the base of our civilization. It is extremely important what type of energy we use, how much we pollute our environment and how much energy we have left.