Energy storage: how can it change the future?
The term energy storage refers to the process of capturing and storing surplus energy produced from various sources, especially renewable ones.
While wind and solar power are becoming increasingly prominent, the main challenge linked to the use of these technological approaches is to develop efficient procedures for the storage of surplus energy.
Considering that the sun does not shine continuously and the wind does not always blow at a constant speed, the capacity to set aside energy generated on favourable days plays an essential role in guaranteeing network stability during times when energy production is limited.
LDES systems can improve energy storage
LDES (Long Duration Energy Storage) systems are a category of energy storage technologies designed with the main objective of storing large quantities of energy for long periods of time, generally from a few hours to several weeks.
These systems serve to overcome the challenges associated with the management of renewable energy sources on a vast scale and guarantee a reliable, continuous supply even during long periods of scarcity. Some of the most promising examples currently under development and testing include:
- flow batteries: using liquid electrolytes which circulate via storage cells, they can increase their storage capacity, adding more electrolyte. This flexibility makes them ideal for prolonged, large scale storage;
- heat accumulation systems: they exploit high temperatures to store and release energy. Among the most common technologies are the so-called heat tanks, which use phased exchange materials to store large quantities of energy;
- hydro-electric accumulation pumps: using electrical energy, these devices pump water into the tanks (positioned at a height) during periods of over-production and then release it using hydro-electric turbines at times of peak demand;
- advanced heat accumulation technologies: solutions based on chemical or physical processes to store and release heat energy efficiently and on a large scale. The most noteworthy are thermo-chemical materials and concentrated solar energy accumulation systems.
As renewable resources are often unevenly distributed across an area and can be susceptible to unpredictable variations, storage is essential to balance supply and demand at regional and national level. This contributes towards reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigates environmental impact.
Targets for 2050 and Italian efforts
According to expert forecasts, the adoption of increasingly efficient energy storage systems could contribute towards achieving Europe’s targets of decarbonisation and net zero by the year 2050.
Accumulation using green hydrogen offers the greatest chances of success in that direction; as well as the fact that this gas is generated using electrolysis and can easily be compressed in accumulation systems, it can also be inserted directly into fuel cells to generate a clean current without the need for any further steps.
Italy is also working to support this and many other innovative solutions and has recently received the European Commission’s approval for the allocation of 17.7 billion euros to incentivise the development of a centralised electrical energy storage system.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
