Finding Ways to Store Electricity for Later Use

As new portable electronics become more powerful, the inadequacy of supporting battery technology becomes increasingly more noticeable. High-tech laptops, cameras, and MP3 players—even hybrid and electric cars—are limited with today’s relatively weak batteries.
 
The problem only grows on the utility scale and has perplexed the electric industry for decades. But the potential payoffs of better batteries in an energy-constrained world has renewed research and development efforts.
 
Advancements in battery technology could bolster power generation in two big ways: stored electricity could be tapped during periods of peak consumption when power plants are running at full capacity; and renewable energy systems, like solar and wind, could become a reliable resource even on cloudy days or when the wind stops blowing.
 
Large-scale energy storage technology ranges from glorified lead acid batteries (what’s in your car) to more advanced nickel-cadmium batteries (what’s in a cordless drill) to newer flow and sodium-sulfur batteries. The latter two, though only in very limited use in the field, are relatively compact, long-lasting, and efficient, and show the most promise for storing massive amounts of power for later use.
 
Other large-scale options are more mechanical than chemical in nature. One involves pumping water uphill when electricity use is low, such as at night, and releasing it through turbines to produce electricity when more kilowatts are needed. Another uses excess electricity to compress air, which is then stored in vast underground caverns until it’s called on to blast natural gas-fired turbines into action.
 
“Although none of the advanced tech-nologies are completely proven, energy storage could solve so many problems. The potential is enormous,” says Bob Gibson, senior program manager with Cooperative Research Network.

Sources: Scott Gates, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Cooperative Research Network