Older folk may remember when the answer to the question ‘will batteries be with us forever’ was a resounding yes. But times do change, and we need to remember this. World Economic Forum suggests battery demand may fall as renewables seek new forms of energy storage. They detect four trends we share here.
Four Replacements for Batteries for Us
Demand for renewable energy storage is accelerating at such a rate, we could almost be forgiven for believing batteries will be with us forever. However, the truth of the matter is the technology is not as infinitely scalable as we would like. And besides, there’s also the not-so-small-matter of finite battery-mineral resources.
World Economic Forum suggests four technologies are more-than-waiting-in-the-wings:
- Gravity-based storage, whereby giant cranes lift 30-ton bricks in tall structures using surplus energy. These gradually lower down again, using dynamos to supplement grids during peaks. Energy Vault is doing this now!
- Pumped-hydro storage follows a similar approach, except it uses energy in water, and not gravity. The water pumps uphill in low demand, and releases during peaks. Hoover Dam has been doing this since 1936!
- Compressed-air storage uses something related, except this time the storage medium is compressed air in underground caverns. A pilot plant has operated in Germany since 1978.
- Liquid-air-energy storage takes this logic a step further, by compressing air into a liquid form at -196°C using surplus energy. A utility could release it to power turbines during high demand. UK Highview Power is working on this.
Ingenuity, Not Batteries Should Be With Us Forever
That says it all in a nut shell really. Our ancestors used horses to power their transport until gasoline made its appearance. Electricity is pushing fossil fuel aside, while renewables wait in the wings. Batteries, as we know them may not be with us forever, either.
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