Football Pitch-Sized Batteries Could Change the World of Renewable Energy

[Staffjam]

2011 saw huge advances in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, and these advancements will continue into 2012. In fact 2012 could be the year that renewable energy sources start to seriously compete with traditional fossil fuels, at least that is the hope in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on dwindling oil stocks. However a major problem with renewable energy sources is that they can rarely provide consistent power levels, due to a myriad of factors outside of human control.

Eric Wesoff, an industry analyst with Greentech Media, explains that, “A wind farm only works when the blades are spinning. It might have a nameplate capacity of 100 megawatts, but it never puts out that much. Sometimes it’s 70; sometimes it’s nothing. To a grid operator, that kind of resource is a headache rather than an aspirin.” To overcome these fluctuations energy storage systems can be used to store excess power at peak generating times and release it when needed to provide a more constant level. “So now that 100-MW wind farm can say, ‘We’re a 40-MW, steady-state, 24/7 energy source’—more like a coal plant. That’s more valuable to society.”

The most abundant energy storage system in use around the world is the battery, but producing giant batteries for the electrical grid has always been very expensive. Lots of research has been done into small batteries for mobile phones and MP3 players, etc. and now, according to Haresh Kamath, program manager for energy-storage research at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). “The research applied to those industries is now being applied to batteries for the grid.” In fact the world’s largest battery array, a $500 million system capable of storing 36 megawatt-hours of electricity, has recently been completed in China by the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) and the electric car maker BYD. As part of China’s push toward a smart grid system for renewable energy, the battery has been hooked up to 140 megawatts of solar and wind power generation as well as a smart grid transmission system.
Full article at: http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Football-Pitch-Sized-Batteries-Could-Change-the-World-of-Renewable-Energy.html

[John_Back_From_The_Club_O]

... and BP's "grassroots" company XYZ will own the 'exclusive patent rights' on this battery technology.

[Trainwreck]

Now that we've got the afghan lithium reserves lets force the market into spending trillions on toxic batteries.

[worcesteradam]

producing giant batteries for the electrical grid has always been very expensive.

kind of a drawback

[compguygene]

"Alternative Energy" aka solar/wind/etc. is really just a primitive stopgap technology compared to the tech that has been withheld and not developed.  The future of energy generation is not centralized, it's personal.  Let me share an analogy.  At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, in a factory you would have one huge steam engine, or later electrical or internal combustion engine.  Belts would distribute the power throughout the factory.  Today, we have motors of various type everywhere, including little ones in small gadgets and toys.  The same could be said of computers.  We started out with huge ones the size of buildings that you would log into remotely.  I am old enough to remember using them!  Now, we have computers everywhere.  Computers are in your cellphone, your car, your oven, your television, in so many gadgets like glucose monitors for those with diabetes, and of course Desktop computer, laptop computer, and tablets!
The future of power generation is not the grid.  The biggest problem and expense with the grid is not really the power generation, it is the distribution!  It's all those wires and transformers, etc. etc. 
The future of power generation is a "thingy" that uses one of several technologies that have been demonstrated to work that would just be a black box in your house that would provide all the electricity you need.  A black box in your car that would power your car's anti-gravity drive.  The simple fact that we are burning long chain carbon molecules (oil) instead of building stuff with them is just a waste!  I am not saying that we are running out of oil anytime soon.  I know that most of you are very aware of the "Peak Oil Myth".  But, in a way we are faced with a choice similar to what England was near the end of the 19th Century.  England was building many many ships from wood. England also was using wood to heat homes.  This led to the development of coal as a resource to heat homes, drive steam engines, and serve as the primary source of energy in England.
We need the same kind of revolution today.

[worcesteradam]

Of course, if r.t.p Superconductivity is discovered then a giant grid would make sense

They'll never allow what your describing above ^ because we could have that tech already if we handed out nuclear energy to every household, yet it doesnt happen. Instead the technology is shut down and deemed too dangerous.

Dangerous to who.

[iskdude57]

Well check out solar molten salt powered stations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMWIgwvbrcM

As for Batteries IMO, you can't beat the A123 companies' lithium-ion batteries, they aren't as dense as other lithium ion batteries so they take up more volume/space but they are completely safe and non-combustible which to me is a no brainer. 

[iskdude57]

The future of energy generation is not centralized, it's personal.

I can agree with this, if we can find a way to cool the house in the summer w/o ac or little ac and maybe even alternative methods to refrigeration http://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/electricity-free-terracotta-fridge you're already mostly there...