Renewable energy storage is crucial

Renewable Energy Storage

Currently around seven percent of US energy consumption comes from a renewable source such as wind power or photovoltaic electricity. Globally, renewables provide only 3.5 percent of our electricity, but when you look at transportation fuels, this figure is much lower.

In order for alternative fuels to compete with the traditional sources such as coal and gas, the process needs to become more cost effective and more reliable. For this to become a reality, renewable energy storage will be crucial.

Currently, renewables face three main obstacles to becoming the dominant force in energy production: capturing the energy produced from places like wind farms and crops economically; transporting this energy from its source to its destination with making a minimal carbon footprint; and how to convert this energy into convenient forms. Most prominently in the last category, electricity for transportation has to be loaded into cars and trucks, either through batteries or perhaps as hydrogen, reports ScienticAmerican.com.

$148.4bn spent on renewables

The sector is developing rapidly with a recent study showing that, in 2007, global investment in renewable energy was US$148.4 billion, up 60 percent from the previous year.

But further steps need to be taken in order to drive down the costs of renewables. Renewable energy storage can help overcome this because not all watts are created equal. During peak demand on the electric grid, electric companies will pay more for electricity. Often the additional power needs at this time are supplied by natural gas or oil, which have higher fuel costs, yet can produce electricity at a moment's notice. The opposite is true when demands are low.

What renewable energy storage does is allow for power to be pumped into the grid during the most lucrative times.

A reliable energy supply

Furthermore, with each state having varying capacities for different forms of renewable energy - for example, some regions have outstanding geothermal resources, while others are a hot bed for solar energy - renewable energy storage reduces the need for an extensive power grid for alternative power sources to prosper. That way, as reported on CleanTechnica.com, North Dakota, for instance, can use large amounts of wind energy and Arizona can use a lot of solar energy.

Storage would also make the energy supply far more reliable, as the grid needs a consistent, stable supply of energy that can be adjusted during times of peak demand. For renewable energy to surpass oil and gas et al, it must be able to adapt to variable nature of power demand. Energy storage means electricity output from renewable sources can be increased as needed instead of firing up a natural gas or oil power plants.

Developments in renewable energy storage can propel alternatives to new heights and will be absolutely crucial if they are to take over from the harmful fossil fuels as our primary source of power.

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