Chasing batteries for energy storage
U.S. programs seek to improve performance and economics
Batteries—in other words, electrochemical storage—have a range of useful applications on the grid, but their performance, cost-effectiveness and siting requirements must be refined, according to a recent paper by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
That refinement process is likely to require more utility-based demonstration projects, researchers said.
Battery applications such as power reliability, frequency regulation, renewable energy integration and energy management must be honed via further basic and applied research, particularly in utility demonstration projects, researchers said in a recent paper.
"While there has been increased interest and attempts to improve stationary storage, investment in the area is still limited in comparison with that of Li-ion batteries for vehicle applications," concluded Gary Yang, lead author of "Electrochemical Storage for Green Grid," and a lab fellow at PNNL. (The paper was published in Chemical Reviews in March. Subscription required.)
"Currently," Yang pointed out, "there are only a few government-funded programs worldwide with limited funding for developing electricity storage technologies for stationary applications."
Hurdles include lack of public and political awareness, current regulatory approaches and government support, Yang suggested.
On the "bright side" (my phrase):
- The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized $50 million annually for a decade for basic research; $80 million annually for a decade for applied research and $100 million annually for demonstration projects.
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funded 16 storage demonstration projects with $185 million in federal monies and $585 million in private sector investment.
- China and various European nations are also investing and conducting stationary storage research and development.
Aside from cost and performance, advances are needed in chemistries, materials, cell/stack design and system engineering, Yang and his co-authors said.
Perhaps the most promising battery categories are redox flow, Na-beta alumina membrane, certain Li-ion chemistries and lead-carbon technologies, according to the paper.
Readers, one issue that arises here is that research and development (R&D) on battery technologies could mean greater choices for the myriad grid applications that will evolve over coming decades. Failure to do so could mean fewer choices. The work is expensive and, in my opinion, the cost-share between taxpayer and private sector is healthy.
This is a political issue, a budget issue and a technology issue that won't go away. Cynics may suggest that researchers naturally will propose more research. Private sector entities with an interest in moving battery technologies to market—and utilities that might benefit—clearly have an interest in overcoming hurdles. The public may eventually benefit, but broad support for utility-scale battery technology may be difficult to achieve, given the somewhat arcane nature of the pros and cons.
Whatever your philosophy on these matters, energy storage R&D—including batteries—is going forward, seeded by the government. However, with much of the federal budget under the knife, it remains to be seen whether these efforts remain a national priority. Achieving the efficiencies of a smarter, modernized grid will cost money. Will we spend it?
Meanwhile, we'll try to bring more specific, battery-related projects to light in this space.
For more on storage, see some of our latest columns:
"Four Ways to Think About Energy Storage"
"Energy Storage: Drivers and Goals"
"The Business Case for Compressed Air"
Phil Carson
Editor-in-chief
Intelligent Utility Daily
pcarson@energycentral.com
303-228-4757
