Energy storage

The general method and specific techniques for storing energy derived from some primary source in a form convenient for use at a later time when a specific energy demand is to be met, often in a different location.

In the past, energy storage on a large scale had been limited to storage of fuels. For example, large amounts of natural gas and petroleum are routinely stored. On a smaller scale, electric energy is stored in batteries that power automobile starters and a great variety of portable appliances. In the future, energy storage in many forms is expected to play an increasingly important role in shifting patterns of energy consumption away from scarce to more abundant and renewable primary resources.

An example of growing importance is the storage of electric energy generated at night by coal or nuclear power plants to meet peak electric loads during daytime periods. This is achieved by pumped hydroelectric storage, that is, pumping water from a lower to a higher reservoir at night and reversing this process during the day, with the pump then being used as a turbine and the motor as a generator.

Off-peak electric energy can also be converted into mechanical energy by pumping air into a suitable cavern where it is stored at pressures up to 80 atm (8 megapascals). Turbines and generators can then be driven by the air when it is heated and expanded.

The development of advanced batteries (such as nickel-zinc, nickel-iron, zinc-chloride, and sodium-sulfur) with characteristics superior to those of the familiar lead-acid battery could result in use of battery energy storage on a large scale. For example, batteries lasting 2000 or more cycles could be used in installations of several-hundred-thousand-kilowatt-hour capacity in various locations on the electric power grid, as an almost universally applicable method of utility energy storage. Batteries combining these characteristics with energy densities (storage capacity per unit weight and volume) well above those of lead-acid batteries could provide electric vehicles with greater range.

Ceramic brick “storage heaters” that store off-peak electricity in the form of heat have gained wide acceptance for heating buildings in Europe, and the barriers to their increased use in the United States are more institutional and economic than technological.

Solar hot-water storage is technically simple and commercially available. However, the use of solar energy for space heating requires relatively large storage systems, with water or rock beds as storage media, and difficulties can arise in integrating this storage with existing buildings while keeping costs within acceptable limits. See Solar energy, Solar heating and cooling

Heat or electricity may be stored by using these energy forms to force certain chemical reactions to occur. Such reactions are chosen so that they can be reversed readily with release of energy; in some cases the products can be transported from the point of generation to that of consumption. For example, reactions which produce hydrogen could become attractive since hydrogen could be stored for extensive periods of time and then conveniently used in either combustion devices or in fuel cells.

Electrical energy can be stored directly in the form of large direct currents used to create fields surrounding the superconducting windings of electromagnets. In principle such devices appear attractive because their storage efficiency is high. However, the need for maintaining the system at temperatures approaching absolute zero and, particularly, the need to physically restrain the coils of the magnet when energized require expensive auxiliary equipment (insulation, vacuum vessels, and structural supports). See Superconducting devices

Storage of kinetic energy in rotating mechanical systems such as flywheels is attractive where very rapid absorption and release of the stored energy is critical. However, research indicates that even advanced designs and materials are likely to be too expensive for utility energy storage on a significant scale, and applications will probably remain limited to systems where high power capacity and short charging cycles are the prime consideration.

单词	energy storage
释义	Energy storage Energy storage The general method and specific techniques for storing energy derived from some primary source in a form convenient for use at a later time when a specific energy demand is to be met, often in a different location. In the past, energy storage on a large scale had been limited to storage of fuels. For example, large amounts of natural gas and petroleum are routinely stored. On a smaller scale, electric energy is stored in batteries that power automobile starters and a great variety of portable appliances. In the future, energy storage in many forms is expected to play an increasingly important role in shifting patterns of energy consumption away from scarce to more abundant and renewable primary resources. An example of growing importance is the storage of electric energy generated at night by coal or nuclear power plants to meet peak electric loads during daytime periods. This is achieved by pumped hydroelectric storage, that is, pumping water from a lower to a higher reservoir at night and reversing this process during the day, with the pump then being used as a turbine and the motor as a generator. Off-peak electric energy can also be converted into mechanical energy by pumping air into a suitable cavern where it is stored at pressures up to 80 atm (8 megapascals). Turbines and generators can then be driven by the air when it is heated and expanded. The development of advanced batteries (such as nickel-zinc, nickel-iron, zinc-chloride, and sodium-sulfur) with characteristics superior to those of the familiar lead-acid battery could result in use of battery energy storage on a large scale. For example, batteries lasting 2000 or more cycles could be used in installations of several-hundred-thousand-kilowatt-hour capacity in various locations on the electric power grid, as an almost universally applicable method of utility energy storage. Batteries combining these characteristics with energy densities (storage capacity per unit weight and volume) well above those of lead-acid batteries could provide electric vehicles with greater range. Ceramic brick “storage heaters” that store off-peak electricity in the form of heat have gained wide acceptance for heating buildings in Europe, and the barriers to their increased use in the United States are more institutional and economic than technological. Solar hot-water storage is technically simple and commercially available. However, the use of solar energy for space heating requires relatively large storage systems, with water or rock beds as storage media, and difficulties can arise in integrating this storage with existing buildings while keeping costs within acceptable limits. See Solar energy, Solar heating and cooling Heat or electricity may be stored by using these energy forms to force certain chemical reactions to occur. Such reactions are chosen so that they can be reversed readily with release of energy; in some cases the products can be transported from the point of generation to that of consumption. For example, reactions which produce hydrogen could become attractive since hydrogen could be stored for extensive periods of time and then conveniently used in either combustion devices or in fuel cells. Electrical energy can be stored directly in the form of large direct currents used to create fields surrounding the superconducting windings of electromagnets. In principle such devices appear attractive because their storage efficiency is high. However, the need for maintaining the system at temperatures approaching absolute zero and, particularly, the need to physically restrain the coils of the magnet when energized require expensive auxiliary equipment (insulation, vacuum vessels, and structural supports). See Superconducting devices Storage of kinetic energy in rotating mechanical systems such as flywheels is attractive where very rapid absorption and release of the stored energy is critical. However, research indicates that even advanced designs and materials are likely to be too expensive for utility energy storage on a significant scale, and applications will probably remain limited to systems where high power capacity and short charging cycles are the prime consideration.
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