ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

Energy Storage
 What is Energy Storage?

Energy storage systems are the set of

methods and technologies used to store
various forms of energy.
 Energy Storage Importance
Addresses one of the main issues facing renewable
energy:

RENEWABLE SOURCES AREN’T ALWAYS

AVAILABLE.

The sun doesn’t always shine. The wind doesn’t always

blow.
Ten Energy Storage Methods

1. Compressed Air Storage

2. Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity
3. Advanced Rail Energy Storage
4. Flywheel Energy Storage
5. Lithium-Ion Battery Storage
6. Liquid Air Energy Storage
7. Pumped Heat Electrical Storage
8. Redox Flow Batteries
9. Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage
10.Methane
 1. Compressed Air Storage
• Used in conjunction with a wind farm, this energy system
draws in air, creating a high-pressure system in a series
of large underground chambers.
• When wind speed slows or power demand surges,
pressurized air typically mixed with a bit of natural gas is
released to power turbines or generators.
 2. Pumped-Storage
Hydroelectricity
• Typically designed to store excess power from the grid.
When power demand lags, electricity from the grid is
used to pump water up into a reservoir or lake.
• When demand surges water is allowed to flow from the
upper reservoir down to a lower reservoir.
• As it flows to a lower elevation, water passes through
turbines, generating energy.
 3. Advanced Rail Energy
Storage
• A system that uses rail cars to reserve electricity.
• Uses excess grid energy to power axle-drive motors on
rail cars, pushing mass uphill and against gravity to a
storage yard.
• Extracting electricity from the system, rail cars move
back downhill. The wheels act as tiny generators,
sending electricity back to the grid.
 4. Flywheel Energy Storage
• Stores grid energy by converting electricity into kinetic
energy in the form of spinning wheels.
• Wheels are held in a frictionless vacuum by a magnetic
field to prevent a loss of energy
• When power is needed, spinning can be slowed in a way
that generates electricity
• LOW MAINTENANCE, LONG LIFE AND LOW
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
 5. Lithium-Ion Battery Storage
• Lithium batteries weren’t developed for industrial use
and widespread
• Grid base adoption of lithium battery storage faces three
major obstacles: COST, SAFETY HAZARD, LIMITED
LIFESPAN
 6. Liquid Air Energy Storage
(LAES)
• Uses excess grid electricity to cool ambient air to the
point it becomes liquid.
• To extract electricity from the system, liquid air is
converted back to gas by exposure to ambient air or with
waste heat. This expanding gas is then used to power
turbines.
 7. Pumped Heat Electrical
Storage
• Stockpiles electricity by using it to drive a heat pump that
moves heat from a “cold store” to a “hot store:
• Recuperating the energy, heat pump is flipped, taking
from hot to cold store, this generates mechanical work
that drives a generator.
 8. Redox Flow Batteries
• Different from lithium-ion batteries which are solid state
batteries
• Uses chemical reduction and oxidation reactions to store
excess grid energy in liquid electrolyte solutions
• Main advantage over lithium-ion: FLEXIBILITY
 9. Superconducting Magnetic
Energy Storage
• Stores electricity not as a chemical, kinetic, or potential
energy, but as a magnetic field
• Field is created by the flow of current in a
superconducting coil that has been cooled to below a
critical temperature point.
• Requires very little energy to maintain, and energy is
released by discharging the coils
 10. Methane
• German researchers have developed a way to take the
products of biomass gasification to produce methane. As
a gas that can then be burned to power turbines,
methane essentially serves as an energy store medium
in this scenario. Energy stored as methane could easily
be piped or shipped using existing natural gas
infrastructure.
 PASSIVE
SOLAR
STORAGE
 Passive Energy Design
• Takes advantage of a building’s site,
climate, and materials to minimize energy
use
• Does not involve the use of mechanical
and electrical devices
• Highlights energy efficiency and
optimization of design parameters
 Five Elements of Passive Solar
Design
1) Aperture – controls the amount of
conductive and radiative heat
2) Absorber – hard, darkened surface of the
storage element
3) Thermal mass – stores the heat produced
by sunlight
4) Distribution – method by which solar heat
circulates from the collection to different
areas of the house
5) Control – stabilizes the temperature to under
or overheating
 Design Considerations
• Insulation and air sealing
• Window location, glazing type, and
window shading
• Thermal mass location and type
• Auxiliary heating and cooling systems
 Passive Solar Design Techniques
1)Direct Gain
2)Indirect Gain
3)Isolated Gain
 Passive Solar Design Techniques
1) Direct Gain - The actual living space is a
solar collector, heat absorber and
distribution system. South facing glass
admits solar energy into the house where it
strikes masonry floors and walls, which
absorb and store the solar heat, which is
radiated back out into the room at night
Direct Gain
Direct Gain
 Passive Solar Design Techniques
2) Indirect Gain - Thermal mass is located
between the sun and the living space. The
thermal mass absorbs the sunlight that
strikes it and transfers it to the living space.
The most common indirect gain system is a
Trombe wall.
Indirect Gain
Indirect Gain
 Passive Solar Design Techniques
3) Isolated Gain - The most common
isolated-gain passive solar home design is a
sunspace that can be closed off from the
house with doors, windows, and other
operable openings. Also known as a
sunroom, solar room, or solarium, a
sunspace can be included in a new home
design or added to an existing home.
Isolated Gain
Isolated Gain
 ACTIVE
SOLAR
STORAGE
Active Solar
Storage
Air circulation system
Liquid Circulation system
PHOTOVOLTAIC
TECHNOLOGY
 History
• 1839 – Alexandre Edmund Becquerel
observed photovoltaic effect
• 1954 – Bell Labs introduced the first photo
voltaic device (< 4%)
• 1958 – Solar cells are being used in small
scale application but not on large scale
• 1970 – interest in PV technology grew due
to energy crisis
• 1970 - Now – Solar cells are made more
feasible and less expensive due to
development and research (15-20%)
 Solar Cells
• Also known as
photovoltaic (PV) cells
• Converts sunlight to
electricity
• Typically made from 2
layers of silicon, N type
and P-type
 Classification of Photovoltaic
Technology

• Crystalline silicon solar cells

• Thin-film solar cells
• Organic solar cells
 Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
• Most widely used PV cells
• 2 types
– Mono-crystalline silicon solar cell
from high-purity single crystal ingot
– Multi-crystalline silicon solar cell
from cast block of silicon
 Thin-Film Solar Cells
• Have a light-absorbing layer of 1 micron
thick, (c-Si) 350 microns thick
• Coated with several layers: glass, metal or
plastic
• Some has lower efficiency than (c-Si cells)
• Lightweight, durable, lower cost and easy
to use
Thin-Film Solar Cells
2nd Generation 3rd Generation
• Amorphous Silicon • Perovskite PV cell
PV cell (a-Si)
(22.1%)
• Cadmium Telluride
• Copper zinc tin
PV cell (Cd-Te)
(19%) sulfide PV cell
• Copper Indium (CZTS) (12%)
Gallium Selenide
PV cell (CIGS)
(7.8-9.2%)
 Organic Solar Cells
• Consist of one or several layers of
photoactive materials sandwich by two
electrodes
• Lower cost compared to silicon based
materials and easy to manufacture
• Low stability, low efficiency and low
strength
• Experience substantial photochemical
degradation
Cost of Solar Photovoltaics
Environmental Impacts
• Cleanest energy source
• Zero emissions
– Average homeowner – 18,000 miles/year
• Indirect environmental impacts
 (EPBT)
Productivity of Solar Panels
How Solar Panels are Produced
Where Solar Panels are Made

1970 – 40 years
2010 – 6 months
 Hazardous Chemicals
• Toxic chemicals and materials
– Caustic Soda, Hydrogen Fluoride,
Hydrochloric Acid, Sulfuric Acid,
Acetone
– Silicon dust
– Gallium arsenide, cadmium-telluride
• Solvents and alcohols
• Oils and molten salts
 Land Use
• Buildings and Homes
• Large Surface area for Utility Scale Plants
• Soil Compaction and Erosion
 Water Use
• PV cells do not require water for electricity
generation
• Cleaning and cooling of generators
 Ecological Impacts
• Rainfall and drainage patterns
• Ivanpah Solar Power Plant, Mojave Dessert,
California
• “Mojave Death Ray”
Mojave Plant Solar Power
Towers
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