Affordability Of Batteries Key To Harnessing Wind and Solar Power

Future batteries used by the energy grid to store power from the wind and sun must be reliable, durable and safe, but affordability is really the key to widespread deployment, according to a new report published online March 4 in the journal Chemical Reviews. The report is one of the most comprehensive reviews of electrochemical energy storage to date. In the report, researchers from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory say that successful electrochemical energy storage, or EES, systems will need to evolve – in some cases, considerably – if they are going to compete financially with the cost of natural gas production. And besides technical improvements, the systems will need to be built to last, using materials that are safe and durable so that batteries could operate more than 15 years and require very little maintenance over their lifetime.

The report provides a comprehensive review of four stationary storage systems -- ones considered the most promising candidates for EES: vanadium redox flow, sodium-beta alumina membrane, lithium-ion and lead-carbon batteries. In their study, the PNNL researchers note the potential of each technology but, more importantly, explain what advances must occur with each if they're ultimately to be deployed.

Researchers say continuing to improve battery technology is critical to bringing down the cost and increasing the reliability of batteries.

"By improving EES technologies, industry could tap into a near endless supply of wind and solar power and drastically reduce the dependence on fossil fuels to meet growing demand for electricity," said Z. Gary Yang, PNNL laboratory fellow and lead author of the paper.

Yang says with further research, the cost of these battery technologies could be reduced, the performance improved and advances in materials, chemistries, design and system engineering occur.

Without advanced batteries, electricity from wind and solar power must be used the moment it's produced. The most commonly used battery systems today work by converting electricity to kinetic, or potential, energy and then discharging that energy back to the grid when it's needed. But these systems, such as flywheels and pumped hydro and compressed air systems, have limiting factors such as lack of portability.

Electrochemical energy storage systems, on the other hand, can efficiently store electricity in chemicals and then release it upon demand. The electrochemical energy storage systems work similar to a traditional household battery, but at a much larger scale, and use a variety of materials, like carbon, aluminum and even salt.

Like lead-acid batteries in a flashlight, batteries that store wind and solar power take in the electricity as it's produced and convert it to chemical energy, stored in the form of a liquid or solution. When the energy is needed from the battery, an electric charge starts the chemical conversion of energy back into electrons, which then move back into a power line on the electric grid.

The leaders of the battery "pack"

Vanadium redox flow battery

Vanadium redox flow battery is a type of rechargeable battery that stores electrical energy in two tanks of electrolytes, or fluids that conducts electricity. Researchers conducting the study say redox-flow technology could be a good candidate for backup energy storage for durations of up to 12 hours, and could integrate wind and solar power in a residential neighborhood or at several large industrial sites.

When energy is needed, the liquid is pumped from one tank to another. During this slow and steady process the chemical energy from the electrolyte is converted to electrical energy. When energy needs to be stored, the process is reversed. The amount of energy the battery can store is determined by the size of the tank and the amount of electrolyte it can hold. Researchers say this technology has potential if it can be made in a variety of sizes, portable and affordable.