Powering the grid of the future
As the amount of clean yet variable renewable energy increases, so does the need for grid-balancing technology. Extreme weather events continue to demonstrate that yesterday’s power grid may not survive tomorrow’s weather. Long duration energy storage (LDES) provides the grid flexibility and resiliency to address these challenges.
Increased support of energy storage technologies is critical to achieving scalable, economical implementation. Black & Veatch has a history of involvement in first-of-a-kind projects that usher in change and shape our world. We use this expertise to deliver sustainable, innovative solutions that meet the needs of present and future generations.
Flexibility
The ability to balance supply and demand across time, even seasonally, provides grid operators with increased flexibility.
Resiliency
Providing electricity when other forms of generation are unable to, long duration energy storage supports greater grid resiliency.
Decarbonization
LDES can enable greater amounts of clean, carbon-free renewable electricity and further enable the decarbonization of the industrial sector.
Advanced Energy Storage Technologies
Thermal LDES uses heat and cold to store and then release electricity.
Thermal LDES Technology :
Sensible Storage (high temperature) – A low-cost material, like salt, is electrically heated to a high temperature, the heat boils water, making steam, then sends steam through a turbine-generator to produce electricity.
Latent Storage (phase change, gas to liquid) – A low-cost material, like air, is cryogenically liquified at low temperature and easily stored in tanks, boiled back to a gas at pressure, then sent through a turbine-generator to produce electricity.
Pumped Heat (carnot) – In Pumped Heat Electrical Storage (PHES), heat is pumped from a low temperature thermal store to a high temperature thermal store using a reversible heat pump/heat engine. Reversing this process drives the heat engine and generates electricity.
Mechanical LDES stores potential or kinetic energy in systems for release later as electricity.
Mechanical LDES Technology:
Potential (gravity-based) – An array of concrete blocks stacked several stories tall are raised to store energy then lowered down, turning a motor-generator to produce electricity.
Potential (Novel Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS)) – A form of gravity-based storage that builds on the success of conventional pumped hydro storage with new and innovative designs that reduce cost, shorten deployment times, and reduce geography-based siting requirements.
Potential (compression-based) – A form of energy storage that leverages compression and expansion of air or other gases to store and generate electricity. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) and Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) are examples.
Mechanical Short Duration Energy Storage Technology:
Kinetic (rotating mass on bearings) – A very large and heavy mass, flywheel, speeds up to charge, slows in speed to discharge energy, turning a motor-generator to produce electricity.
Electro-Chemical LDES stores electricity through the creation of atomic bonds, released later as electricity.
Electro-Chemical LDES Technology:
Low-cost battery cells (non-lithium) – Earth abundant, low-cost materials like iron or zinc or sodium, manufactured as very low-cost battery cells, charging and discharging electricity.
Synthetic fuels (from hydrogen) – Hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in air, is made to produce a net-zero-carbon form of methane (CH4) and water (H2O). Methane is a pure form of natural gas that today produces electricity in power plants.
Flow batteries – The electrodes of a battery are liquid, not solid, pumped through a device and charged, stored in tanks, and then pumped in reverse to discharge. Larger storage tanks increase duration.
