Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

CleanTechnica
Backup_Batteries

Batteries

360 MW Of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems Launched In 2013-2014

Navigant Research notes the addition 360 MW Of grid-scale energy storage systems in 2013-14, an encouraging sign for renewable energy growth.

Navigant Research has released a new report stating that between January 2013 and September 2014, 91 new grid-scale energy storage systems were announced or launched. The total capacity for these systems is 362.8 megawatts. Lithium-ion technology is the leader for these storage systems, but flywheels and flow batteries are also emerging as options for storing electricity produced by clean sources.

Backup_BatteriesWhile 360 MW might not sound like much compared with the amounts of renewable energy that are being generated in places like California, which reached 4.8 GW of utility-scale solar power generation in September of 2014, it should be noted that these storage systems are emerging technologies,, and they need to be supported.

Navigant Research analyst Anissa Dehamna explained, “This is a critical time for the advanced energy storage industry. The market has started moving quickly across a number of  technologies, but in order for the industry to continue to scale, more systems integrators are needed.”

A separate Navigant research report found that the market for grid energy storage and support services will grow in the next ten years from $675 million annually to $15.6 billion. That’s an increase of over twenty times in ten years. Investors, take note.

Everyone who follows renewable energy knows that solving the energy storage problem for solar and wind is sort of a holy grail, because once it is resolved, there really isn’t much of an argument against clean energy. Intermittency is an acknowledged barrier to more solar and wind power, but the energy storage trend seems to very gradually moving towards catching up.

There are clean energy storage precedents. Over one hundred years ago, an American engineer named Charles Brush built his own wind turbine and home battery system.

Also, pumped hydroelectric is a form of energy storage, as explained by the USGS:

The reservoir acts much like a battery, storing power in the form of water when demands are low and producing maximum power during daily and seasonal peak periods. An advantage of pumped storage is that hydroelectric generating units are able to start up quickly and make rapid adjustments in output. They operate efficiently when used for one hour or several hours. Because pumped storage reservoirs are relatively small, construction costs are generally low compared with conventional hydropower facilities.

So, energy storage has been around for a long time, meaning that it isn’t weird or impossible, it simply is taking other forms now. The cost of the new ones are also dropping.

 
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
If you like what we do and want to support us, please chip in a bit monthly via PayPal or Patreon to help our team do what we do! Thank you!
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
 

Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
 

Written By

Hello, I have been writing online for some time, and enjoy the outdoors. If you like, you can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeRsol

Comments

You May Also Like

Clean Transport

A new type of autonomous electric train is on track to electrify the US freight rail network and push diesel trucks off the highways,...

Batteries

Extreme weather events, cybersecurity threats and volatility in energy markets at all levels puts intense strain on America’s power grid. Virtual power plants (VPP)...

Clean Power

Big news for clean air last week. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted amendments requiring the elimination of nitrogen oxide (NOx)...

Cars

Lucid Motors is revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) industry with its luxury electric cars. Lucid has reimagined the driving experience to create an unparalleled...

Copyright © 2023 CleanTechnica. The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by and do not necessarily represent the views of CleanTechnica, its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

Advertisement