Why Battery Energy Storage Is the Solution Everyone Needs… For Now

Words by 3p EditorsNorthampton, MA –News Direct– TriplePunditPostdoctoral researcher Martha Gross works in an argon glove box with a test battery cell illustrating a lab-scale sodium iodide battery.New energy storage technologies are on the horizon, promising to solve the largest barrier to renewable energy — short term variability and seasonal imbalance, aka the need for power when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. Long-term energy storage would ideally store and deliver days’ — or even weeks’ — worth of electricity, rather than just a few hours. For example, storing solar power from August’s sunny days until the overcast tinge of January. But full commercialization of these long-duration technologies is years away, even as the need for energy storage continues to grow rapidly.Even a few hours of stored electricity can make a significant difference…

Read more…