A Path to Green Living: Hydrogen & Thermal Storage Technologies: Energy Storage Technology Articles: Eco20/20

A Path to Green Living: Hydrogen & Thermal Storage Technologies

Energy storage technologies are progressing at a rapid pace, driven by the environmental movement that gains more and more followers.

Introduction to Energy Storage

Energy can be stored in various physical media or devices in order to be used at a latter time. Energy storage is useful in two distinct ways: it provides a reliable power source on a small or large scale whenever energy is required; it can be used to store excess energy generated by a power plant when production exceeds consumption, with the aim of making it available later on when demand becomes high.

Energy is classified as either potential or kinetic. Forms of potential energy include mechanical, electrical, gravitational, and chemical energy, while forms of kinetic energy include thermal energy. For example, the batteries used to power up toys store chemical energy, the gasoline used as a fuel for automobiles stores ancient energy, while ice storage tanks store thermal energy.

In order to minimize the negative impact that humans have on the planet, new energy storage technologies are being developed that can meet large-scale power requirements but that, unlike coal or oil, come from sources which are replenished naturally. Below we will take a look at two of the most promising energy storage technologies which use hydrogen and thermal energy.

Hydrogen Storage

As a portable energy storage method, hydrogen is primarily developed as an efficient electrical power storage form. It cannot stand on its own as a primary energy source because it has to be created by other energy sources.

Gaseous hydrogen is stored in the underground in places like abandoned mines or caverns and can be used to produce electricity. It is excellent for grid energy storage and can be deposited for years without losing any of its useful characteristics.

Hydrogen is also regarded as a potential fuel for next-generation vehicles though at the moment costs prevent it from being profitable for other uses except as an energy storage medium for electricity.

Thermal Storage

Energy stored thermally is used either for heating or for cooling. One of the most popular renewable sources of energy, solar energy, can be stored thermally and used as a power source on cloudy days or at night.

Thermal storage for cooling purposes is an innovative energy storage technology that is rapidly gaining popularity because of its efficiency. It is especially used at night when electricity rates are low to store ice in large containers. The ice stored is afterwards going to be used during the peak hours of the day.

Notable companies operating in the field of thermal storage include EnviroMission, Solco, and Abengoa, all of which focus on solar thermal energy.

Overview

Other promising energy storage technologies that are bound to shape the way energy is handled and used in the future include flow batteries, superconducting magnetic energy storage, and hydraulic accumulators.

Hydrogen and thermal energy storage innovations are already being adopted with success by many electrical and solar power plants across Europe, United States, Japan, and a few countries in South America, most notably Brazil.