Renewable resources approach full potential with energy storage

October 20, 2014

Advances in sustainable energy technology have made wind and solar power collection more cost-effective than ever before. Clean Line Energy Partners noted that wind power alone could potentially produce enough electricity to meet America's demand 10 times over. Unfortunately, most energy infrastructures lack the ability to account for variant surges in energy that occur when collecting natural power. An article from sustainable business resource Triple Pundit argues that the country can only take full advantage of sustainable energy by integrating energy storage technology.

Sustainable energy on the rise
Solar and wind power have seen significant growth in the past few years as the demand for clean energy and long-term sustainability strategies has gained greater popularity. The manufacturing industry, for example, has reacted to the adoption of wind power by expanding production to meet the needs of a growing market. Triple Pundit notes there are currently 400 plants across the country focused on developing specialized turbines and blades necessary to construct wind towers.

Likewise, solar power in the United States is now the second leading source of new electricity, according to Solar Energy Industries Association. Current solar infrastructure in the United States boasts a total capacity of 13,000 megawatts. While the nation's potential to create solar power is far beyond its demands, there will soon be a time when the country will lack the resources necessary to store and deliver that power on demand.

Storage provides the solution
Energy storage solutions, such as chiller systems or thermal storage technology, offer a natural solution to the current limitations of renewable energy.  In fact, a study performed by Stanford University argued that the current wind power industry is already in position to begin investing in dedicated energy storage solutions. The same study noted that today's solar power collection strategies must be improved before the system can take full advantage of integration with energy storage technology. Unlike wind energy, the solar collection infrastructure is not efficient enough to offset its own energy costs.