Aside from the rise of solar energy, another significant trend currently unfolding is the proliferation of large-scale batteries worldwide, and in Europe in particular.
It is important to note that battery devices have a very low energy density. Lithium is about 0.1 MJ/Kg. Diesel is about 43. Nuclear is in the millions.
The Law's of Physics and Thermodynamics still hold true, Batteries cannot deliver the energy needed even for widespread back up use. Good for cell phones and electronics though.
The rate of increase is large, but the total amount of storage is not very impressive. A large power plant outputs 1 GW, so 11GWh for all of Europe is equivalent to a mere 11 hours storage from one single power plant.
Thanks for another informative article. My concern about large-scale batteries is environmental. I realize that is beyond the scope of this article, but we certainly need to know the environmental effects of the mining for battery materials and the ultimate disposal. My guess is that it will be an environmental disaster.
That's a great point about residential energy storage - current incentives for small-scale storage don't align with the broader system benefits. Additionally, I'd approach the reported low prices in China with caution, as those figures may reflect undisclosed support or policies not applicable elsewhere.
https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Incident_Database
BESS are inherently highly hazardous and as more are added, the incidents will increase
I like the information dissemination here.
It is important to note that battery devices have a very low energy density. Lithium is about 0.1 MJ/Kg. Diesel is about 43. Nuclear is in the millions.
The Law's of Physics and Thermodynamics still hold true, Batteries cannot deliver the energy needed even for widespread back up use. Good for cell phones and electronics though.
The rate of increase is large, but the total amount of storage is not very impressive. A large power plant outputs 1 GW, so 11GWh for all of Europe is equivalent to a mere 11 hours storage from one single power plant.
I find it interesting the total amount of battery storage is around 20gwh, but a single thermal battery can be 90gwh!
So, while batteries are excellent, if you have need for heat, then thermal batteries are two orders of magnitude better.
Source for the 90gwh heat battery: https://www.vantaanenergia.fi/en/worlds-largest-thermal-energy-storage-to-be-built-in-vantaa-finland/
Thanks for another informative article. My concern about large-scale batteries is environmental. I realize that is beyond the scope of this article, but we certainly need to know the environmental effects of the mining for battery materials and the ultimate disposal. My guess is that it will be an environmental disaster.
That's a great point about residential energy storage - current incentives for small-scale storage don't align with the broader system benefits. Additionally, I'd approach the reported low prices in China with caution, as those figures may reflect undisclosed support or policies not applicable elsewhere.
Batteries are a very expensive way to make a disfunctional power system slightly less disfunctional.
You are correct:
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/utility-scale-batteries-are-as-expensive
There are several projects listed in the NESO TEC Register for 1,000 MW BESS in the U.K.