Energy storage lava

Can volcanic rocks store energy?

John Kosowatz is senior editor. A large electrothermal energy storage project in Hamburg, Germany, uses heated volcanic rocks to store energy. Siemens Gamesa, the company behind the pilot project, says it’s a cost-effective and scalable solution to store renewable energy.

Can a large-scale battery storage project use volcanic rock?

A variety of battery deployments, for storage and production, have been introduced but large-scale storage projects remain few outside of traditional hydroelectric pumped storage. That could change if a large-scale pilot project using volcanic rock as a medium proves effective.

Can stored heat be used to power a power plant?

Stored heat can be added to existing cycles. Finally, it can offer a second life for power plants. The system would replace generation, drawing electricity from the local grid or renewable sources, while using the existing steam cycle and operation processes.

Can a new storage medium be used to power fossil-fuel-fired power plants?

They also believe the technology can easily be fitted to existing fossil-fuel-fired generation plants that are closing, using existing equipment to produce electricity from the new storage medium, and send to the grid. The project uses 1,000 tonnes of volcanic rock as the storage medium.