The Conversation Climate NewsJan 22, 2023

While battery innovations get a lot of attention, there’s a simple, proven long-term storage technique that’s been used in the U.S. since the 1920s.

It’s called pumped hydro energy storage. Here’s how it works

https://theconversation.com/batteries-get-hyped-but-pumped-hydro-provides-the-vast-majority-of-long-term-energy-storage-essential-for-renewable-power-heres-how-it-works-174446

#Energy #batteries #GreenPower (via @TheConversationUS)

Batteries get hyped, but pumped hydro provides the vast majority of long-term energy storage essential for renewable power – here’s how it works

A team of researchers found 35,000 pairs of existing reservoirs, lakes and old mines in the US that could be turned into long-term energy storage – and they don’t need dams on rivers.

The Conversation
Show threadSteven Molnar
@TheConversationClimate @TheConversationUS Absolutely, but I'm still hoping (as I have been for over 50 years) for flywheel energy storage to become a big player, both at the residential and commercial level.
Jan 22, 2023 at 11:04pmWeb
Show threadChris MerleJan 22, 2023
@MolnarSteven @TheConversationClimate @TheConversationUS not everywhere can use pumped hydro. We need a range of options including flywheels. I like the idea of using sand to store heat like that pilot project in Finland. It’s cheap and a lot of energy needed at scale is heat.
Show threadSteven MolnarJan 22, 2023
@clmerle @TheConversationClimate @TheConversationUS There's also the system (in the US southwest?) of trains loaded with rocks going up a mountainside. You can't get much more simple than that.
Show threadcopsewoodJan 23, 2023

@MolnarSteven @TheConversationClimate @TheConversationUS

When big coal generators were the UK grid mainstay, the weight of spinning parts did help stabilise grid frequency at 50Hz . But only for a few minutes. It's not difficult to work out the energy stored in a flywheel based on its size and maximum RPM before it disintegrates due to internal stresses, and it's not much compared to the need of a few week's reserve for long winter anticyclones when there's insufficient wind or solar.