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Smart grid storage can be categorized into short-term storage for load
lev eling and quality uses (less than a minute) and longer-term storage
for peak shaving/load shifting applications (storage for minutes or
hours). Ultracapacitors are well suited to load leveling and quality
applications as they have an extremely fast discharge and charging
response, have a high current capacity and can be cycled hundreds
of thousands of times without degradation to their storage ability.
Chemical batteries are id eal candidates for peak shaving applications
as they have higher energy densities and in many cases long service
lifetimes.
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017
www.smartgridanal ysis.com
costs reductions will create new markets for them especia lly in new
industria l and commercia l construction.
There are several driv ers to upgrade the electrical grid infrastructure.
For producers, there is a two-fold incentiv e. First, as the recent spike in
fossil fuel prices shows, feedstock prices are varia ble and can wreak
havoc with energy producers and their ability to provid e affordable
power. There is also an increasing incentiv e to use the existing power-
generating resources more efficiently—both as a more effectiv e use of
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017
www.smartgridanal ysis.com
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017
www.smartgridanal ysis.com
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017
www.smartgridanal ysis.com
There are several materia ls advances that are likely become readily
available in the next 3–8 years that paint an attractiv e future for grid
energy storage. Beyond lead acid and sodium sulfur, flow batteries
such as vanadium and ZnBr show great promise. Flow batteries have
good efficiencies (over 75 percent) and long lifetimes (over 10,000
charge discharge cycles) and are scalable (battery size determined
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017
www.smartgridanal ysis.com
Liquid metal batteries are another exciting concept that may provid e
up to 10x the current capacity of current batteries in a simple system
that can best be describ ed as an extension of the sodium sulfur system
where a molten salt electrolyte is sandwiched between two different
metals. Like the sodium sulfur battery, it is a high-temp stationary
solution, but if the current storage capacity is as high as reported, it
may be a lower cost, durable solution that may be commercia lized
within the time period covered by this report.
For additional information on this and other reports from Smart Grid
Analysis, please visit us on the web at www.smartgridanalysis.com
Smart Grid Analysis | PO Box 3840 | Glen Allen, VA 23058 | TEL: 804-360-2967 | FAX: 804-270-7017