Energy Storage

Energy is stored to use it at a different time than when it

was generated.
The process of converting the energy to storable form
means that some energy is lost.
Additional energy is lost when the energy is released or
recovered.
Ideally, storage is avoided to have a more efficient process.

Renewable energy, however, is often intermittent (like wind

and sun), and storage allows use at a convenient time.
Prof. R. Shanthini
09 Feb 2013

Types of Energy Storage

Electricity can be stored by converting it into another form
such as potential, kinetic or chemical energy.
Electrical energy storage technologies include the following
types of storage media:
- Battery electric storage system (BESS)
- Flow batteries
- Fuel cells
- Flywheel energy storage (FES)
- Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)
- Super capacitor energy storage (SCES)
- Compressed air energy storage (CAES)
- Pumped hydro energy storage (PHES)
Prof. R. Shanthini
09 Feb 2013

Energy and Buildings 42 (2010) 21242130

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES)

Electricity is produced from this 27-billion gallon reservoir using six
turbines that drive electric generators. The same turbines double as
giant water pumps to fill the reservoir with water from Lake Michigan.

Real-life example:
1872 MW generating capacity
Prof. R. Shanthini
09 Feb 2013

www.consumersenergy.com/content.aspx?id=1830

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES)

Reversible pump-turbine can spin an alternator to generate
electricity.
It also can act as a pump to pump water uphill using electricity.

This reversibility allows excess electrical energy to be used to

pump water to a higher storage reservoir to be used as an
energy source later.
PHES is the most widespread high-energy storage
technique.
PHES provides rapid response (<1 minute) to support
intermittent renewable generation.
Prof. R. Shanthini
09 Feb 2013

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES)

The energy used to pump a water volume (V) to a height (h)
with a specific pumping efficiency (p) is given by:
Epumping =

ghV
p

The energy supplied to the electrical network by a generator

of efficiency (g) can be obtained by:
Egenerator = g h V g
Overall efficiency of the energy storage system

= Egenerator / Epumping
Prof. R. Shanthini
09 Feb 2013

http://www.sc.ehu.es/sbweb/energias-renovables/temas/almacenamiento/almacenamiento.html