Solar panels and wind turbines cannot solve the global warming crisis in the long term, without energy storage. The three technologies must work together in abundant quantities to achieve that. But batteries can only complement this initiative, at this stage in their evolution. Today we present alternative hydroelectric energy storage as something else to consider.
The Origins of Alternative Hydroelectric Energy Storage
Benchmark hydro electric storage uses water in two dams at different elevations. Large electric pumps move water from a lower to an upper dam during off-peak demand, when electricity is cheaper.
And then, when electricity is in high demand and therefore more expensive, the water flows back down through pumps that have switched to dynamo mode. This is all well and good, except dams are expensive and take time to build.
Storing Energy in Water Using Compressed Air
An alternative hydroelectric energy storage system may work similarly, except the lower dam is an underground chamber. And the ‘pump’ driving the water uphill is compressed air, not direct electricity.
A Canadian company with the name Hydrostor fills an underground, purpose-built cavern with water using gravity. And then the company fills a tank above with air it compressed using electrical energy.
Hydrostor then pumps the compressed air into the cavern below, during peak demand. This forces the stored water below up a pipe, and into a storage dam through turbines that generate electricity.
The company derives a profit by purchasing cheap, off-peak energy, passing it through their system, and then selling it back to the grid utility during peak demand. This arrangement is cheaper and faster than building two dams.
The Hydrostor system is one of many initiatives to store electricity for later use. This particular application stores off-peak grid electricity that may come from various sources. However, once the method matures, it could become an ideal companion for renewable energy.
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