Energy storage

Large scale utility energy storage is a growing market. Cost effective energy storage will increase the robustness and efficiency of the energy transmission grid will enable the development of a \"smart grid\"" and will facilitate the introduction of intermittent renewable energy conversion systems such as wind and solar. A recent report by Sandia National Laboratory identifies 17 major grid applications that could benefit from energy storage. The market for energy storage is estimated by this report to exceed $228 billion over the next 10 years.

Background: Developing batteries with improved performance and safety requires considering a variety of factors. Optimal batteries should provide high voltage storage of substantial amounts of energy reliable and safe operation low-cost and low-weight manufacturability and long life without significant maintenance. Li/CFx batteries which have a lithium metal anode and a carbon monofluoride cathode are a promising type of battery due to a higher energy density than all other lithium primary cells.

Background: Currently MnO2 is commonly coated onto current collectors to form very thin films with a thickness of ten to one-thousand nanometers in order to minimize the limitation of poor conductivity. Therefore the relative amount of MnO2 on current collector is always low and does not provide sufficient energy and power density.

The invention comprises of two major components. The first part of the invention describes new solid-phase materials with high hydrogen (H)-content and stable at room temperature. The second part of the invention relates to a technique involving a novel mixture of solvent with a suitable hydride to accelerate the release of the hydrogen content contained in the new solid materials described in the first part. Magnetic components in a non-magnetic oxide matrix originally present in the slag.

The focus of this innovation is a new topology and control technique for energy storage utilization to provide short-term support for wind energy and mitigate the mechanical stress on wind turbine gearboxes. Dr. Nasiri has utilized ultracapacitors (supercapacitors or double layer capacitors) as an energy storage element on the DC bus of a full four quadrant power conversion system or doubly fed induction generator system.

The second generation of Compressed Air Energy Storage deals with the thermal issues to achieve higher efficiences. Currently, there are a number of companies and demonstration plants. Efficiencies between 70 and 80% are forecasted.

Applications: long term-storage, short-term storage, arbitrage, distributed/off-grid storage, frequency or voltage regulation, reserve grid capacity, mobility

Compressing air is a way to store energy, and combining this with a generator yields a way of storing electricity. Systems have been in use in applications such as starting large engines or in the propulsion of mine locomotives. At a larger scale, the technology is used to shift the energy demand for smaller and larger electricity grids, providing storage. Air heats up when compressed, and cools down when decompressed, generating a natural barrier for efficiency. To counter this, some installations use an external source of heat, like natural gas. Efficiencies up to 45% are attainable.

Flywheel energy storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy. When energy is extracted from the system, the flywheel's rotational speed is reduced as a consequence of the principle of conservation of energy; adding energy to the system correspondingly results in an increase in the speed of the flywheel. Most FES systems use electricity to accelerate and decelerate the flywheel, but devices that directly use mechanical energy are being developed.

Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) systems store energy in the magnetic field created by the flow of direct current in a superconducting coil which has been cryogenically cooled to a temperature below its superconducting critical temperature.

Applications: frequency or voltage regulation