Affordable Grid-Scale Storage Is Coming. (And in some places it has already arrived)

johnniec (55)in #technology • 7 years ago (edited)

Updated 7/7/17: Tesla's 100 MW Project in South Australia Moving Ahead

Affordable grid-scale energy storage is often viewed as the missing piece to being able to have grids that run on 100% renewable energy (or even 80%). Critics of renewable energy love to point out that the sun doesn't shine all the time and the wind doesn't blow (even though this turns out not to have as large of an impact on the grid as has been predicted by some). It is true that renewable energy sources often don't perfectly align with our energy demands and for this reason it is good to use them in combination with each other and with energy storage. While wind and solar prices have plummeted in recent years, making them competitive with, or even cheaper than, some traditional energy sources, the cost of energy storage remains fairly high (though in the last 4-5 years the cost of battery storage has fallen by roughly 50%).

This won't be true for long, and in places with great solar and wind resources or where connections to larger grids are scarce, it already makes financial sense. Here's why:

Did you know Tesla already installed grid-scale battery storage in San Diego?

Following a massive and difficult to control natural gas leak, the risk assessments and cost-benefit analysis of natural gas vs. renewables and storage shifted in California. Faced with no quick replacement storage facility, the local power company needed to act quickly and decided to contract with Tesla for grid-scale battery storage. The plant was "manufactured, shipped, installed and readied for operation in roughly three months", much faster than replacement natural gas storage facilities could have been sited, permitted, constructed, and put in operation. Tesla already has contracts for similar storage facilities around California, the US, and globally (including in Australia where Elon Musk initiated the deal making very publicly and boldly via Twitter).

Did you know Tesla plans to soon crank out more battery capacity per year at one Gigafactory than was produced globally in 2013? And that China has plans to more than triple that in the next few years?

And so does Tesla?

The world will soon be producing 10X the amount of battery storage that it was just a few years ago. This means costs will drop and renewables + storage will be viewed as more reliable and affordable than they currently are.

Other Forms of Storing Excess Renewable Energy

Battery storage isn't the only player in the energy storage game. Other concepts that are already in use or in development include:

Molten Salt Heat Storage - Heat from concentrated solar is used to melt salt and heat it to a very high temperature which can then be used around the clock to generate steam and electricity.
Pumped Hydro - Water is pumped up to a reservoir using excess renewable energy and then used to generate hydroelectric power when solar and wind can't meet demand.
Compressed Air - Air is compressed using extra power and then used to generate electricity later.
Hydrogen Production - Electricity can be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Captured hydrogen can then be used in fuel cells to power buildings or vehicles.
Flow Battery Recharge - Extra energy can be used to recharge flow battery fluids that could in turn send energy into the grid or into vehicles.
Flywheel Storage - A flywheel is accelerated using extra energy and used/decelerated to generate electricity when needed.

References:
http://fortune.com/2017/06/28/elon-musk-china-battery/
https://www.techspot.com/news/69146-tesla-has-plans-announce-4-more-gigafactories-year.html
https://electrek.co/2017/03/13/tesla-energy-project-australia/
https://steemit.com/news/@johnniec/renewable-energy-now-provides-more-electricity-than-nuclear-in-the-us

Battery power plant in California, built in 3 months.