Debunking misconceptions about energy storage

October 27, 2014

Energy storage solutions have been available for years, but modern energy demands have encouraged businesses and government agencies to take greater consideration of how the technology can help to meet those needs. In fact, energy storage was a key topic of conversation at two recent conferences - Energy Storage North America in San Jose, California, and the Intersolar conference and trade show in San Francisco. Unfortunately, lack of awareness has resulted in confusion over the potential advantages of energy storage. Addressing these misconceptions reinforces the many benefits that energy storage has to offer.

Storage technologies too diverse
A recent article posted by The Energy Collective argues that two key factors are slowing adoption of energy storage. However, these assertions fail to take into account the finer nuances of technological evolution or acknowledge the adoption efforts that have already taken place. The first potential barrier mentioned by the article is that the storage technologies are too diverse, and that each solution is too specific for rapid adoption. Varying markets will value energy storage techniques differently based on location needs. Some will prefer technology that improves resiliency while other firms use energy storage to shift power use from costly peak load times and reduce costs. The article asserts that this bevy of options will produce counter productive confusion.

Renewable energy techniques are themselves nowhere near standardization, yet this fact no longer stunts the growth of renewable deployment. In fact, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reports that almost 56 percent of the newly installed generation capacity in the U.S. this year is produced by renewable energy sources, according to The Energy Collective. This precedent suggests that the wide range of technologies is actually a boon for energy storage, as the volume of solutions increases the chances that each renewable energy project will find the ideal storage technology.

Proprietary solutions stall adoption
The second potential barrier against adoption mentioned by The Energy Collective article is the presumption that the energy storage industry is overly dependent on proprietary technology. Deployment of energy storage technology is tailored to the needs of a client, and this specificity comes at the cost of standardization. There is no reason to assume that use of proprietary technology will slow adoption of energy storage, however.

To the contrary, some techniques like thermal energy storage have already been refined to the point that they can be deployed at the same cost of a regular cooling system. In addition, Energy Central notes that multiple state governments, including New York, New Jersey and California, have already rolled out incentives for companies that get off the grid during peak demand periods. Often, companies are shy about adopting new technology formats, but the cost-effectiveness and growing widespread usage of energy storage will help to alleviate that resistance.