Storage the key to solving the intermittent problem

“Intermittency” is the challenge hindering large scale deployment of renewable energy such as solar and wind, Dr Palani Balaya, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, told the Asia Smart Grid 2013 Energy Storage Plenary sessions.

And energy storage is the answer to the intermittent nature of these energy sources, he said. Pump-hydro storage, compress air energy storage, flywheels and batteries are among the storage systems, which can make the supply of renewables reliable, he explained.

Speakers at the plenary sessions shared their expert views on energy storage and its challenges. While it was agreed that energy storage systems present viable solutions to tackle intermittency, there remain other challenges to overcome – cost and resource confinement.

Today, energy storage remains an expensive option but there are on-going efforts to bring its cost down. Dr Nenad Markovic, Senior Chemist of Argonne National Laboratory (USA) outlined the JCESR's (Joint Center for Energy Storage Research) five-year goal of developing batteries that would be five times more energy dense and less costly than today's batteries. State-of-the-art electro-chemical energy storage systems that could potentially reduce the overall cost of renewable energy projects by 40% were also showcased.

The continued availability of material resources presents the other key challenge for the energy storage industry. “We are using up minerals at an alarming rate.” said Dr Armin Reller, Chair of Resource Strategy, Augsburg University.

As technologies improve overtime, complex materials such as rare earth elements would be required to complement their development. However, such resources are finite and are not readily accessible. To overcome the material resource challenge, Dr Reller put forth strategies such as material substitution and recycling. “Many key elements are not recycled today”, said Dr Reller while highlighting that more can be done in this aspect.

Explaining that “knowledge and expertise are the resource that increase when being used”, Dr Reller also emphasised the importance of institutionalising knowledge as well as the need for continual innovation in addressing these challenges.

BY : Darryl Chan