Forging for Energy Storage Including:
Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage.
A popular form of energy storage, pumped-storage hydroelectricity is typically designed to store excess power from the grid. Using the excess electricity to pump water up to a reservoir can be stored then released when demand rises. Similar to hydropower, once released, the water flows down through a turbine to generate electricity. The turbine/generator is similar to typical hydroelectric power plants that do not incorporate storage.
Compressed Air Energy Storage.
Compressed air energy storage (CAES) involves using excess energy to compress air at up to 1,000 pounds per square inch, creating a high-pressure system in a series of large underground chambers. This energy storage method is coupled with wind energy. When the wind speeds slow or power demand surges, the pressurized air energy, typically mixed with a bit of natural gas, is released to spin turbines turning generators to create electricity.
Flywheel Energy Storage.
Flywheel electric energy storage systems include a shaft connected to a cylinder that spins rapidly within a vacuum-sealed enclosure attaining rotational speeds up to 60,000 revolutions per minute. Some flywheels use magnetic bearings to levitate the cylinder, thus limiting friction-related losses and wear. Excess electricity is used to accelerate a flywheel (a type of rotor) through which kinetic rotational energy is stored. When the electricity is needed, the stored energy is converted via slowing the flywheel's rotational speed through a shaft that turns a generator.
Thermal Energy Storage.
Electricity can be used to produce thermal energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, "coupling heating systems with thermal and seasonal storage offers important flexibility in demand in regions where winters are particularly harsh. For example, the Drake Landing Solar Community in Canada uses a long-term thermal energy storage system to store heat from solar collectors during summer for space heating during winter. In coupling the power and thermal sector, Siemens-Gamesa is testing a thermal energy storage system that uses wind power to produce heat stored in over 1,000 tons of rock. This system provides a thermal storage capacity of 130 megawatt-hours of electric energy at rated charging temperatures of 750°C. IRENA estimates that around 234-gigawatt hours of thermal energy storage are present, a crucial enabler of reliable, secure and flexible energy systems."
Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage.
A superconducting magnetic energy storage system (SMES ) stores electricity as a magnetic field in an environment cooled below the temperature needed for superconductivity. As long as this temperature is maintained, energy can be stored indefinitely because the current will not degrade. Additional SMES components include power conditioning equipment and a cryogenically cooled refrigeration system.
Methane.
Researchers have developed a way to take the products of biomass gasification to produce methane, which is then be burned to power turbines. Methane essentially serves as an energy storage medium and can be stored or easily piped/shipped using the existing natural gas infrastructure.