We don’t have a complete solution for what to do with excess electricity from wind towers and floating solar farms. They continue to absorb elemental energy regardless of whether we require it. We would need less equipment if we could store that energy, but it needs so many batteries. A Dutch startup Ocean Grazer has a way of storing surplus wind power in the ocean using hydro power.
What CES 2022 Best of Innovation Has in Store for Us
The award-winning Ocean Grazer is a ‘pumped hydro system in a box’ according to engineers on its website. It comprises rigid reservoirs containing supplies of water, and flexible bladders on the seabed for storing ‘surplus wind-generated power’ in the ocean.
Ocean Grazer uses surplus green energy to pump water from these rigid reservoirs into flexible bladders, creating a pressure differential. An control room operator allows the water to flow back and turn multiple turbines when they require the stored energy.
‘The Ocean Battery is effectively based on the same technology as hydro storage,’ chief executive Frits Bliek told BBC News. ‘Except, in that latter case the water is pumped back through a dam in a river, but we have transformed it into something you can deploy on the sea bed.’
Real Progress with Storing Surplus Wind Power in the Ocean
However, the Ocean Grazer is more than just a bright idea to impress judges at CES. The company has successfully tested a deep-water prototype at the port of Groningen in the Netherlands.
It is now preparing to test a second system engineers modified for shallower water in a lake. This could open the door to storing surplus energy from floating solar farms, instead of using chemical batteries.
Moreover, the system is potentially capable of hundreds of thousands of cycles. Ocean Grazer may be more expensive initially. But this factor could iron out the difference and make it economically competitive.
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