How to store all the energy
Posted on January 29th 2009
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, tidal and solar energy are intermittent, and as such they are very difficult to use. How to store all the energy that’s produced from these sources is a real challenge, but scientists from the Leeds University are in the process of developing an effective way of doing this. They are trying to create a biofuels-based trigeneration system, which can be used to heat, power and cool either domestic or industrial-scale buildings.
This system will function by using biofuels to power itself. Waste heat from the generator provides heating and hot water and a refrigeration process offers cooling.
Professor Yulong Ding from the UL said: “The biofuel-powered engine produces flue, or waste, gas at about 600oC. This is a good grade of thermal energy, and it makes good sense to find a way to store and use it efficiently.”
The project is worth more than $2 million, and it is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. “The key to the successful use of any renewable energy is its efficient conversion to a convenient form, such as electricity, and its storage for efficient use when needed,” added Dr. Ding.
The research crew also thinks that this technology can be used for storing electricity generated from nuclear power stations and fossil fuel power stations to enable them to better match their output to demand.
After mulling over this problem for a while, I came up with an idea (for large grid setups)
The problem with wind and solar is: you create energy when you can, but not necessarily when you need it. Thus the storage question.
Hydroelectric. Electricity is generated from wind/solar and it powers pumps. The pumps pump water from a lower reservoir (pond, container, lake, etc) to a higher one. When power is needed, it allows the water to flow into the lower reservoir, converting the energy into electricity in the process.
This would allow the energy to be added to the grid when its needed, and in a very controlled, very predictable way. You could measure the amount of water in the upper reservoir and know how much energy is ‘stored’ at any point.
Granted, theres a double install cost here, and you’re technically not getting the energy from the wind/solar set up initially, rather hydroelectric, but… this is a technology that has been harnessed for thousands of years and is extremely understood.
More just an idea. Seems like it’d last longer and be cheaper than batteries etc, and you could do it anywhere.. It could even be a water tower to a lower section.