Renewables integration: The importance of storage

With the increasing importance of renewable energy, grids must deal with the variability and intermittency of renewables generation. At SIEW 2017, Paul Gardner, Segment Director - Storage at DNV GL, spoke about the growing and critical need for optimized storage solutions and the likely technology developments in the future – which he shares more about in this interview. Paul’s presentation at the SIEW Energy Insights can be downloaded here.

The recently launched DNV GL Energy Transition Outlook 2017 report concluded that electricity demand will rise by 140% by 2050, and of this, 72% will be generated by renewables. However, with this transition comes challenges on output consistency. In this interesting episode, Paul discusses how the advancements in storage solutions can help to address the variable and intermittent nature of renewable energy; and warns that this will become increasingly relevant during the energy transition. He also analyses the several types of storage technology available today -  such as batteries; fly wheels and super capacitators; and their optimum method of usage. Finally, Paul highlights the regulatory barriers that can hinder using storage in support of renewables, and considers the factors which will affect costs in the future. 

DNV GL Talks Energy is a podcast series by DNV GL reporting on energy trends with leading experts in the industry.