Storing energy

Energy is one of the essential needs for our survival and the improvement of our quality of life (Armaroli & Balzani, 2007).

In the 21st century, huge consumption of energy resources has been observed due to the fast growth of populations and development of societies.

Energy can be produced by fossil fuels and nuclear power, which pose serious risks to the environment and human health. It can also be produced by clean, renewable resources like solar, wind and geothermal, which have little to no impact on the environment or human health (Bilgili et al., 2015).

_{Wattle Point wind farm near Edithburgh, South Australia. Scott Davis; CC BY-SA 3.0}

Australia possesses abundant resources for renewable energy production, with plentiful sunlight and strong winds providing ideal conditions for harnessing energy. However, natural phenomena and weather conditions can affect the amount of energy these resources produce, leading to fluctuations in availability. This can cause a mismatch in energy supply and demand.

One effective solution to this problem is energy storage, which helps balance supply and demand by storing excess energy when production is high, and releasing it when it’s needed (Kularatna & Gunawardane, 2021).

The importance of energy storage is supported by various environmental and economic reasons, related to reducing the generation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the electricity sector and improving the integration of different renewable energy resources like solar and wind power.

One of the biggest economic benefits of energy storage is that it allows us to store energy when it’s cheaper (at non-peak hours) and use it when it’s more expensive (at peak hours). This helps save money by using stored energy during times when demand and prices are high (De Sisternes et al., 2016).

Types of energy storage include:

• Mechanical
• Thermal
• Electrochemical cells

We will explore them in the rest of this section.

Share your thoughts

Watch the following video from the MIT Energy Initiative about the importance of energy storage.

Are there any other reasons or uses you can think of? Share some ideas in the comments below.

References

Armaroli, N., & Balzani, V. (2007). The future of energy supply: challenges and opportunities. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 46(1‐2), 52-66.

Bilgili, M., Ozbek, A., Sahin, B., & Kahraman, A. (2015). An overview of renewable electric power capacity and progress in new technologies in the world. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 49, 323-334.

De Sisternes, F. J., Jenkins, J. D., & Botterud, A. (2016). The value of energy storage in decarbonizing the electricity sector. Applied Energy, 175, 368-379.

Kularatna, N., & Gunawardane, K. (2021). Energy storage devices for renewable energy-based systems: rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors. Academic Press.