Common Energy Storage Technologies
- Batteries:
- Lithium-ion: Highly efficient and widely used in various applications, from small electronics to grid storage.
- Lead-acid: Traditional technology used for backup power.
- Flow Batteries: Ideal for long-duration, stationary applications.
- Emerging Technologies: Include zinc-air, iron-air batteries offering longer durations and cost-effectiveness.
- Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS):
- The most widely used form of utility-scale energy storage, accounting for over 95% of global capacity.
- Involves storing water in reservoirs between different elevation levels to generate power.
- Thermal Energy Storage:
- Utilizes molten salt, liquid air, or other mediums to store heat or cold.
- Often used in applications such as concentrated solar power plants.
- Mechanical Energy Storage:
- Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES): Stores compressed air in underground caverns and expands it to generate electricity.
- Flywheels: Store energy kinetically for short duration applications.
- Gravity Energy Storage: Emerging technology involving lifting and lowering heavy blocks to store energy.
- Hydrogen Energy Storage:
- Converts excess electricity into hydrogen through electrolysis, which can be stored long-term and converted back to electricity using fuel cells.
- Promising for seasonal storage and hard-to-decarbonize sectors.
These categories represent the majority of current energy storage solutions, with each type offering unique advantages depending on the specific application or need.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/what-are-the-most-common-types-of-energy-storage-technologies/
