Energy storage technology has great potential to improve electric
power grids, to enable growth in renewable electricity generation,
and to provide alternatives to oil-derived fuels in the nation's
transportation sector. In the electric power system, the promise of
this technology lies in its potential to increase grid efficiency
and reliability-optimizing power flows and supporting variable
power supplies from wind and solar generation. In transportation,
vehicles powered by batteries or other electric technologies have
the potential to displace vehicles burning gasoline and diesel
fuel, reducing associated emissions and demand for oil. Federal
policy makers have become increasingly interested in promoting
energy storage technology as a key enabler of broad electric power
and transportation sector objectives. The Storage Technology for
Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2011 (S. 1845), introduced on
November 10, 2011, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's
Order 755, Frequency Regulation Compensation in the Organized
Wholesale Power Markets, are just two recent initiatives intended
to promote energy storage deployment in the United States. Numerous
private companies and national laboratories, many with federal
support, are engaged in storage research and development efforts
across a very wide range of technologies and applications. This
report attempts to summarize the current state of knowledge
regarding energy storage technologies for both electric power grid
and electric vehicle applications. It is intended to serve as a
reference for policymakers interested in understanding the range of
technologies and applications associated with energy storage,
comparing them, when possible, in a structured way to highlight key
characteristics relevant to widespread use. While the emphasis is
on technology (including key performance metrics such as cost and
efficiency), this report also addresses the significant policy,
market, and other non-technical factors that may impede storage
adoption. It considers eight major categories of storage
technology: pumped hydro, compressed air, batteries, capacitors,
superconducting magnetic energy storage, flywheels, thermal
storage, and hydrogen. Energy storage technologies for electric
applications have achieved various levels of technical and economic
maturity in the marketplace. For grid storage, challenges include
roundtrip efficiencies that range from under 30% to over 90%.
Efficiency losses represent a tradeoff between the increased cost
of electricity cycled through storage, and the increased value of
greater dispatchability and other services to the grid. The capital
cost of many grid storage technologies is also very high relative
to conventional alternatives, such as gas-fired power plants, which
can be constructed quickly and are perceived as a low risk
investment by both regulated utilities and independent power
producers. The existing market structures in the electric sector
also may undervalue the many services that electricity storage can
provide. For transportation storage, the current primary challenges
are the limited availability and high costs of both
battery-electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Additional
challenges are new infrastructure requirements, particularly for
hydrogen, which requires new distribution and fueling
infrastructure, while battery electric vehicles are limited by
range and charging times, especially when compared to conventional
gasoline vehicles. Substantial research and development activities
are underway in the United States and elsewhere to improve the
economic and technical performance of electricity storage options.
Changes to market structures and policies may also be critical
components of achieving competitiveness for electricity storage
devices. Removing non-technical barriers may be as important as
technology improvements in increasing adoption of energy storage to
improve grid and vehicle performance.
General
Imprint: |
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
July 2013 |
First published: |
July 2013 |
Authors: |
Paul W. Parfomak
|
Dimensions: |
280 x 216 x 8mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
150 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4909-4514-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Physics >
General
|
LSN: |
1-4909-4514-8 |
Barcode: |
9781490945149 |
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