The term solar researchers designed for small electric cheap and environmentally friendly energy storage system

Editor's note: the lithium ion battery currently dominates the energy storage market dominance, but the battery is more suitable for short-term storage, because they carry the charges will dissipate over time. Hunt and partners to design a new system to solve the lithium ion battery for energy storage for a long time: mountain gravity energy storage, the technique is similar to hydroelectric power, including storage material to produce the gravity can in altitude.

a team of European scientists proposed using mountains to build a new type of energy storage battery for a long time.

the intermittent characteristic of energy such as solar and wind energy makes them difficult to merge into need stable power grid. In order to provide uninterrupted power, grid operators must be stored in the sunny or windy at extra energy, so that in the absence of the sun or wind power distribution. The Austria international institute for applied systems analysis ( 国际应用系统分析研究所) Project scientists Julian Hunt said: & other; 100% of renewable energy is a big challenge for long-term storage. ” Hunt said, lithium ion battery currently dominates the energy storage market dominance, but the battery is more suitable for short-term storage, because they carry the charges will dissipate over time. To store enough energy for months or years, photovoltaic (pv) grid, need a lot of battery, China solar power network, this is a very expensive option.

Hunt and his collaborators to design a new system to solve the lithium ion battery for energy storage for a long time: mountain gravity energy storage, referred to as 'MGES. Similar to hydropower, MGES including storage material to produce the gravity can in altitude. When stored material falling and turn a turbine to generate electricity, energy is recycled. The team on November 6th, published in the journal energy of its system is described in a paper. Hunt, 'explains & other; We suggest to build a large sand reservoirs, instead of building a dam. ” MGES is the key to find two difference in altitude of 1000 m from the top of the mountain location is ideal. “ The elevation difference, the greater the solar energy, technology, the more cheap, & throughout; He said. These sites look very similar, every place has a similar mines of sand or gravel storage station and a right in the gas station. Valve to release material to wait for containers, and then through the cable crane and motor will be transported to the upper field. There, sand or gravel is stored for a couple of weeks, months, even years, until it can be used. When material was moved back to the foot, storage of gravitational energy is released and translated into electrical energy. The system is very flexible, Hunt said, because you can easily change the speed of the cable, solar energy, increase the load, or a change in the number of ships, in order to meet the different demand for energy. Hunt said, and pumped storage hydropower station and dam, compared to traditional long-term storage methods, such as MGES is better, because it will have little impact on the environment. And piles of sand is very cheap, is cheaper than water. The sand will not evaporate, so you can continue to use it indefinitely. Hunt estimates that by the system to store energy in costs will change between 50 to 100 dollars per megawatt hour.

, by contrast, the price of the lithium ion battery at least 10 times higher. He said, will the energy dissipations of the material to the upper will be system to produce attractive energy offset. Hunt and his co-authors is not the first to put forward with the gravitational potential energy as a storage solution. The Swiss startup Energy Vault developed a & other; Battery & throughout; , solar equipment, including by 33 layer buildings ascending and releasing 5000 concrete block; Based in Edinburgh Gravicity company plans to reduce the weight of the abandoned mine; German Heindl Energy companies want to use the pump very large rock mass ascension.

but so far no one has recommended range. Hunt said, MGES technique is especially useful for those smaller grid energy storage demand. These typical micro grid using the power of less than 20 mw, namely for 7000 four-bedroom house once energy. This technology may be applied to Hawaii island of molokai, the Galapagos islands and cape Verde islands or isolated islands, the islands of energy supply cost is very high, and because of tourism, demand is often seasonal. “ In these cases, it can be ( Fossil fuels) A viable alternative, & throughout; He said. “ This may be the reality of the future. ”

the original title: researchers designed for small grid cheap and environmentally friendly energy storage system