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Can Enhanced Geothermal Systems be used as grid-scale batteries? Anywhere!

November 23, 2022 by Stefan Ellerbeck

The US Department of Energy aims to cut the cost of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by 90% by 2035. Standard geothermal power comes from tapping existing hydrothermal reservoirs. But most places don’t have hot water reservoirs underground. EGS pumps water down to reach hot rocks, heating the water to achieve the same purpose. Everywhere has hot rocks underground. Here, Stefan Ellerbeck, writing for the World Economic Forum, describes research … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, costs, EGS, geothermal, grids, solar, storage, US, water, wind

Lithium-ion batteries: new “gooey electrode” manufacturing process can cut costs by up to 40%

November 16, 2022 by Zach Winn

MIT spinout 24M Technologies has created a new way of producing lithium-ion batteries that can cut manufacturing costs by up to 40%, explains Zach Winn at MIT. Significantly, the new process can be applied to different lithium-ion battery chemistries, so today’s and tomorrow’s solutions should be able to use the technology. The “SemiSolid” design uses “gooey electrodes”, reducing the need for over 80% of the materials in traditional batteries, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage

Aluminium, sulphur and salt batteries. Cheaper than lithium-ion, for homes and EV charging stations

September 7, 2022 by David Chandler

The high and escalating demand for the lithium-ion batteries that dominate the market is driving the search for alternatives. Ideally, they will be made from inexpensive, abundant materials. David Chandler at MIT describes research there into a design that uses aluminium and sulphur as its two electrode materials, with a molten salt electrolyte in-between. The results point at batteries that have a projected cost per cell of about one-sixth that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: aluminium, batteries, charging, costs, electrolyte, EVs, innovation, lithium, research, residential, salt, storage, sulphur

Gravity Batteries: any nation can do it at scale using rocks

July 27, 2022 by Simon Read

The beauty of gravity batteries is that they simply involve lifting (charging) and lowering (discharging) a heavy weight, explains Simon Read writing for the World Economic Forum. For pumped hydro, access to water and a geological height difference is needed. But if you’re using rocks or bricks, anyone can do it anywhere, and at any scale. The rest is just a construction job. No rare materials or minerals will ever be needed, nor chemicals that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, electricity, gravity, grids, lithium, PumpedHydro, rocks, storage, water

Latest U.S. modelling shows Battery Storage can support an 80% Renewables grid by 2050

May 18, 2022 by Madeline Geocaris

NREL’s latest Storage Futures Study concludes that battery storage should be able to support an 80% renewables grid mix in the U.S. by 2050. Madeline Geocaris at NREL explains how they modelled hundreds of future scenarios to accurately represent the value of diurnal (<12 hours) battery energy storage. The high-storage scenarios made different cost and performance assumptions for storage, wind, solar PV, and natural gas. 15 storage … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, buildings, costs, distributed, diurnal, gas, lithium, modelling, PV, rooftop, scenarios, solar, storage, US, wind

Using atomic-scale imaging and AI to reduce Battery degradation

March 9, 2022 by Andrew Myers

Finding ways to extend a battery’s life starts with understanding why they degrade. Andrew Myers writing for Stanford University describes research there that is using new methods of high-resolution X-ray, electron and neutron microscopy to allow direct visualisation of battery materials at the nanoscale. Degradation is mostly caused by the expansion and contraction of the materials. The high resolution images are processed using AI to uncover … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations, Storage Tagged With: AI, batteries, cobalt, degradation, electrodes, EVs, LFP, microscopy, nanoscale, nickel, storage

Lifting and lowering tons of bricks: the best storage solution for Wind and Solar intermittency?

February 16, 2022 by James Conca

It’s a high capacity storage system that’s simplicity itself. Use excess wind and solar to raise heavy weights. Keep them at a height for as long as you like. Lower them to generate electricity. James Conca looks at a system being developed by Energy Vault and already being demonstrated in the Swiss national grid. At scale, a single “vault” with 10,000 bricks will have an annual output of 27 GWh, sitting on only 14 acres of land. The bricks are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, bricks, efficiency, EnergyVault, grids, Intermittency, land, LCOE, solar, storage, Switzerland, US, wind

Energy Storage to 2050: how it can support the grid 24/7 all year long

February 9, 2022 by NREL

NREL is modelling grids with rising amounts of storage that captures excess wind and solar power to deliver it back during peak times. Storage capacity starts at around 10GW today and rises to hundreds by 2050. A range of increasingly complex system configurations and grid mixes are studied. The storage can gradually replace thermal peakers (fed with coal or gas but having GHG emissions, and expensive to start-up for peaking) as the grid gets … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: coal, efficiency, electricity, gas, grids, peakers, solar, storage, wind

Research into slowing lithium degradation can extend Battery life by 30%

February 2, 2022 by Jennifer Huber

The massive scale-up of batteries is essential to a successful transition. That will be made much easier if the lifetime of existing lithium batteries is greatly extended. With each charge-discharge cycle, the batteries accumulate tiny islands of inactive lithium that are cut off from the electrodes, decreasing the battery’s capacity to store charge. Jennifer Huber at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory explains how new research is showing a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations, Storage Tagged With: batteries, efficiency, EVs, grids, innovation, lithium, storage, transport

The right – and wrong – way to design a behind-the-meter Battery pilot

January 31, 2022 by Joseph Daniel

Here’s a story on how not to design a pilot project. The point of any pilot is to serve as the basis for larger rollouts. They should also be designed to maximise benefits. Joseph Daniel at the Union of Concerned Scientists describes how a U.S. utility in Michigan tried to create a pilot for behind-the-meter small-scale home storage. They wanted to invite anyone to apply to join. The problem was the likely applicants would be wealthy home owners. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids, Storage Tagged With: batteries, buildings, costs, efficiency, electricity, grids, JustTransition, peakers, storage, upgrades, utilities

HBr Flow Batteries: long term storage for grids, compatible with hydrogen

January 13, 2022 by Helena Uhde and Veronika Spurná

The growth of intermittent wind and solar and the search for replacements for coal and gas points at storage solutions that can ensure a reliable supply of electricity at all times. Standard lithium-ion batteries have limitations. Put simply, the future demand for batteries (including for transport) is expected to far outstrip the supply of lithium. But hydrogen and bromine are abundantly available on a global scale. Helena Uhde and Veronika … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: baseload, batteries, bromine, coal, electricity, Elestor, Flow, gas, grids, HBr, hydrogen, lithium, policy, regulations, solar, storage, Vanadium, wind

Ice for storage for intermittent renewables, then for cooling

September 29, 2021 by Andrea Willige

Cooling accounts for around a fifth of total energy consumption in buildings. All those air conditioners and electric fans make up a tenth of all global electricity consumption. Demand will keep rising as developing nations get wealthier. Andrea Willige, writing for the World Economic Forum, looks at ice as a seemingly simple solution. Ice can be used as an energy store like a battery, to balance the grid. Create it when energy is cheap (at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids, Storage Tagged With: batteries, buildings, grids, HVAC, ICE, innovation, renewables, solar, storage, ThermalEnergyStorage, wind

Nanochemistry breakthrough could lift energy density of batteries by factor six

September 22, 2021 by Stanford University

Finding new ways for batteries to increase the charge they can store will lift their energy density. Researchers at Stanford University have developed an alkali metal-chlorine battery that stores six times the charge of today’s commercially available lithium-ion batteries. Until this breakthrough, a high-performance rechargeable sodium-chlorine or lithium-chlorine battery has been impractical because chlorine is too reactive to convert back to an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, charging, chlorine, EVs, innovation, lithium, nanochemistry, storage

Biden’s major report on critical minerals supply: domestic mining + processing, innovation, EVs, global allies + more

July 2, 2021 by Reed Blakemore

In June, The White House issued its 250-page report on the global critical minerals supply chain, and how the U.S. can ensure continued supply as well as build up its own mining and manufacturing base. It is the fullest picture so far of how the U.S. is evaluating mineral access and supply chain resilience, says Reed Blakemore at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Here he reviews the report, in particular the section on energy which … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage, Transport and energy Tagged With: australia, batteries, Canada, China, cobalt, EU, Japan, lithium, manufacturing, minerals, mining, nickel, processing, storage, US

How to grow grid-scale U.S. Battery capacity to 125GW (or even 680GW) by 2050

June 24, 2021 by NREL

Grid-Scale U.S. storage capacity could reach 125GW by 2050, or even as much as 680GW, according to research from NREL. Almost all today, under 25GW, comes from pumped hydro which has probably reached its limit so the future is batteries. Growth depends on commercial viability, so the research led by NREL has modelled what services storage can supply, the main three being firm capacity, energy time-shifting and operating reserves. The sets of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, commercialisation, hydro, scenarios, solar, storage, US

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      Smart Glasses: experts can monitor and advise on power plant inspections anywhere in the world

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