Energy storage paves the way for renewables

November 10, 2015

Energy storage technologies are paving the way for more renewables. Utilization of renewables has increased 60% along side growing demand for energy storage.

According to Renewable Energy Focus USA, there's been a dramatic uptick in the popularity of renewable energy sources in the last decade. The news source reported that survey data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed that 9.81 percent of U.S. energy consumption came from renewable sources in the first half of 2013, and 11.82 percent of domestic energy produced was renewable. These figures each represent an increase of about 60 percent from their levels 10 years prior. Just recently, Reuters noted that a new report from the World Resources Institute think tank found that renewable energy supply will double by 2030 in eight major economies, including the United States.

The rise of renewable energy is clear but what is helping drive the increase forward? Nick Ni, marketing director at renewable energy firm Verde LLC believes, according to Renewable Energy Focus, that energy storage is the key to helping individual and corporate consumers overcome their economic difficulties with power. This way, users can retain their excess renewable energy at times when their power demands are low, saving it for when they have greater needs. Ni estimates that this will make companies' utilization of renewable somewhere between 30 and 60 percent more efficient.

"The major concern lies in the real economic value after the renewable energy is integrated into the grid," Ni stated, according to Renewable Energy Focus. "Since most renewable energy facilities - especially wind and solar - are located in less populated areas and far away from the grid, it is expensive to transmit the power to end-users."

Ice for energy storage
The only question is which energy storage devices will manage users' dynamic power demands. Some have speculated that hydrogen- and battery-based storage solutions may be the way to go, but ice storage is a method that's been proven to work for over 30 years.

By using high-tech devices to chill energy and keep it in reserve, companies can ensure that they have alternate power sources ready to be tapped into at a moment's notice - all they have to do is thaw it when their demands are highest. According to Scientific American, this would also allow AC-hungry commercial buildings to cut down on energy use during hot summer days, as their storage devices would also provide cooling.

The economic effects of ice storage on the grid should emerge in due time - the technology will make renewables more efficient and economically viable, not to mention help the environment.