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These buzz articles always focus on the sexy energy storage methods: lithium ion, liquid batteries, electrolysis, supercapacitors, etc. I've seen very little ev
by oconnore 11y ago
These buzz articles always focus on the sexy energy storage methods: lithium ion, liquid batteries, electrolysis, supercapacitors, etc. I've seen very little evidence that these can compete on either $/kWh, or efficiency, with pumped hydro (where available), thermal (Isentropic Energy Ltd [1]), or kinetic.
[1]: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Isentropics-Pumped-Heat-System-Stores-Energy-at-Grid-Scale https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Isentropics-Pum...
- ohitsdom 11y agoCorrect me if I'm wrong, but none of the options you listed are portable.
- mikeash 11y agoThe article is all about storage for the electrical grid, to shave peak demand and allow more wind/solar use, so portability isn't a requirement.
- oconnore 11y agoRight. In the context of grid storage of renewable energy, that doesn't matter. You need a li-ion or similar in your phone and your laptop (and maybe your car), but that doesn't make it the best tech for flattening out a peaky solar/wind grid.