Lithium | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Fifteen Grid Scale Energy Storage Solutions to Watch

By Chris de Morsella on May 24, 2011 15 Comments AES Energy Storage, Alabama, alternative energy, battery, Beacon Power, CAES, California, capacity, chris de morsella, compressed air, concentrated solar power, CSP, Eagle Mountain Pumped Storage, electricity storage, energy density, energy storage, environmental, FES, Flow Battery, Flywheel Energy Storage, fuel cell, Germany, Gravity Power, Gravity Power Module, grid scale, Grid Scale Battery, heat pump, High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, hydrogen, Ice Storage, Isentropic, Japan, Johnson City, lithium, Molten Salt, molybdenum sulfide, National Solar Thermal Test Facility, New York, off peak, Palm Springs, peak demand, PEMFC, PHES, Platinum, power conditioning, power density, power quality, Premium Power, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Pumped Heat Electricity Storage, pumped hydro, redox, renewable energy, Sandia National Laboratory, smart grid, SMEs, sodium sulfur battery, SOFC, SolarReserve, stationary power, supercapacitor, Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, Tehachapi, TEPCO, Thermal Storage, UK, Ultracapacitor, utility scale, utility scale energy storage, variability, Versa Power Systems

This post looks at fifteen kinds of utility or grid scale energy storage solutions that are either in wide use or have significant potential to supply the energy storage capacity that will help make the grid both more efficient and more robust. These range from pumped hydro, which is by far the most prevalent form of energy storage at this scale to compressed air, thermal storage, advanced batteries, fuel cells and purely electric storage systems.

Wind Solar Water Alone Could Power the World by 2030 New Study Claims

By Chris de Morsella on January 20, 2011 5 Comments base load capacity, biofuel, biomass, breeder reactor, California, Climate Change, concentrated solar thermal, Davis, electric energy, electrolytic hydrogen, energy insecurity, energy policy, fossil fuel, gen IV, Geothermal, hydroelectric, Institute of Transportation Studies, lithium, Mark Delucchi, Mark Jacobson, neodymium, nuclear, permanent magnet, photovoltaic, Platinum, pollution, PV, rare earth element, REE, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, thorium, tidal energy, transportation fuel, UC Davis, University of California, University of Stanford, water power, wave energy, wind energy, wind power, wind turbine

A new study that is sure to create some controversy proposes that the world can provide for all of its energy needs, including electric, transportation, heating/cooling energy needs using only wind, water, and solar power by 2030.

[Updated] Will a Greening China Leave America in the Dust? Now They Have

By Chris de Morsella on March 28, 2010 6 Comments China, energy efficiency, fossil fuel, fuel efficiency standards, green economy, lithium, Premiere Hu, rare earth element, renewable energy, smart grid, solar energy, solar heating, solar PV, tantalum, US, wind energy

The way it is looking right now it sometimes seems like China is going to leave the US in the dust in the post fossil energy economy. Recent signs point to an increasingly green thinking China that is getting serious about greening its economy and making it much more energy efficient and one has a serious long term plan (and potential) to green its economy. Its wind and solar sectors are growing at a breakneck pace and are poised to continue doing so and within a few years — if this growth rate continues — will propel China into a world leading position in solar and wind energy production. In updated news the Pew Charitable Trusts has reported that China is now spending almost twice as much as the US is on investments in investments in clean renewable energy. Last year (2009) U.S. clean energy investments reached $18.6 billion, while China invested $34.6 billion in their clean tech energy.