The bottom line of southern power grid energy storage

How does a power grid work?

The liquid air is then sent to highly insulated storage tanks, where it’s held at a very low temperature and atmospheric pressure. When the power grid needs added electricity to meet demand, the liquid air is first pumped to a higher pressure and then heated, and it turns back into a gas.

Can Lees provide long-duration storage if power grids are decarbonized?

They conclude that LAES holds promise as a means of providing critically needed long-duration storage when future power grids are decarbonized and dominated by intermittent renewable sources of electricity.

Could lithium-ion batteries provide grid-scale storage?

But that approach is limited by geography, and most potential sites in the United States have already been used. Lithium-ion batteries could provide grid-scale storage but only for about four hours. Longer than that and battery systems get prohibitively expensive.

Why do we need a reliable power grid?

So to ensure a reliable power grid—one that can deliver electricity 24/7—it’s crucial to have a means of storing electricity when supplies are abundant and delivering it later when they’re not. And sometimes large amounts of electricity will need to be stored not just for hours but for days or even longer.

How does pumped hydro energy storage work?

For example, with pumped hydro energy storage, water is pumped from a lake to another, higher lake when there’s extra electricity and released back down through power-generating turbines when more electricity is needed. But that approach is limited by geography, and most potential sites in the United States have already been used.

What is long-duration energy storage?

Some methods of achieving “long-duration energy storage” are promising. For example, with pumped hydro energy storage, water is pumped from a lake to another, higher lake when there’s extra electricity and released back down through power-generating turbines when more electricity is needed.