Energy Storage Systems
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1.0 Introduction
We seem to have an ever-increasing need for more energy. Both households and industries require large amounts of power. At the same time our means of production face new problems. International treaties aim to limit the levels of pollution, global warming prompts action to reduce the output of carbon dioxide and several countries have decided to decommission old nuclear power plants and not build new ones.
Such development brings about the need to replace old energy production methods with new ones. While several are in development, including the promising but ever-so-distant nuclear fusion power, other production methods are already in commercial use. These often rely on the weather or climate to work, and include such methods as wind power, solar power and hydroelectricity in its many forms .
These new sources of energy have some indisputable advantages over the older methods. At the same time, they present new challenges. The output of the traditional methods is easy to adjust according to the power requirements. The new energy sources are based more directly on harnessing the power of the nature and as such their peak power outputs may not match the power requirements. They may exhibit large fluctuations in power output in diurnal, monthly or even annual cycles. Similarly, the demand can vary diurnally or annually. We need a way to buffer power, that is, store energy when excess is produced and then release it when production levels do not meet the requirements. Only then can we rely on, say, wind or solar power as our primary sources of energy .
There are other reasons why it is necessary to store large amounts of energy. Depending on how storage is distributed, it may also help the network withstand peaks in demand. Storing energy allows transmission and distribution to operate at full capacity, decreasing the demand for newer or upgraded lines. Storing energy for shorter periods may be useful for smoothing out small peaks and
1.0 Introduction
We seem to have an ever-increasing need for more energy. Both households and industries require large amounts of power. At the same time our means of production face new problems. International treaties aim to limit the levels of pollution, global warming prompts action to reduce the output of carbon dioxide and several countries have decided to decommission old nuclear power plants and not build new ones.
Such development brings about the need to replace old energy production methods with new ones. While several are in development, including the promising but ever-so-distant nuclear fusion power, other production methods are already in commercial use. These often rely on the weather or climate to work, and include such methods as wind power, solar power and hydroelectricity in its many forms .
These new sources of energy have some indisputable advantages over the older methods. At the same time, they present new challenges. The output of the traditional methods is easy to adjust according to the power requirements. The new energy sources are based more directly on harnessing the power of the nature and as such their peak power outputs may not match the power requirements. They may exhibit large fluctuations in power output in diurnal, monthly or even annual cycles. Similarly, the demand can vary diurnally or annually. We need a way to buffer power, that is, store energy when excess is produced and then release it when production levels do not meet the requirements. Only then can we rely on, say, wind or solar power as our primary sources of energy .
There are other reasons why it is necessary to store large amounts of energy. Depending on how storage is distributed, it may also help the network withstand peaks in demand. Storing energy allows transmission and distribution to operate at full capacity, decreasing the demand for newer or upgraded lines. Storing energy for shorter periods may be useful for smoothing out small peaks and