In the energy storage market dominated by lithium-ion batteries, what other energy storage technologies are penetrating?

　　Since the late 1990s, the U.S. power industry has faced increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Due to state government supply incentives, U.S. federal tax incentives, and declining costs, following the rapid growth of renewable energy generation, people are paying more attention to the application of energy storage systems to ensure that wind power and solar power can serve loads stably and reliably. , and supply electrical ancillary services.

　　In this area, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems currently dominate. However, some analysts believe that lithium-ion battery energy storage systems are not enough to fully support renewable energy generation facilities connected to the grid, and other energy storage technologies are also being deployed, including gravity energy storage systems, hydrogen energy storage and liquid energy storage systems. Flow batteries, etc.

　　Large capacity energy storage technology

　　Since 1890, pumped hydro storage has become an important option for large-capacity energy storage, and by the end of 2017, the United States had deployed a total of approximately 22GW of pumped hydro storage facilities with a capacity of lithium-ion battery manufacturers. Nate Blair, manager of the Distributed Energy Systems and Energy Storage Analysis Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said that compressed air energy storage systems (CAES) are another important option for large-capacity energy storage systems.

　　However, both energy storage systems are capital-intensive assets and are geographically constrained. To meet the growing demand for reliable, widespread and affordable small-scale energy storage, battery energy storage systems have become the default choice for energy developers.

　　Today, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems have become mainstream in the market. However, in April this year, a lithium-ion battery energy storage facility with an installed capacity of 2MW by Arizona utility manufacturer APS caught fire and exploded, highlighting the fire risk of battery energy storage systems. Hidden danger issues. Some clues about the future development of battery energy storage systems can be seen from the plan announced by APS in February last year. By 2025, the company plans to deploy an additional energy storage system with an installed capacity of 850MW.

　　But some energy developers are looking to adopt alternative energy storage systems.

　　Can alternative energy storage technologies make headway?

　　In the energy storage market, in addition to battery energy storage systems, there are other energy storage technologies, including thermal energy storage and gravity energy storage.

　　In November 2018, Switzerland-based EnergyVault became one of the latest entrants to the energy storage market when it launched its grid-scale gravity energy storage system. The company's gravity energy storage system uses cranes to lift concrete bricks for energy storage. Its energy storage principle is similar to that of pumped hydro energy storage facilities.

　　Typically, EnergyVault's energy storage systems use electricity from nearby solar farms or other renewable energy sources. Robert Piconi, the company's CEO and co-founder, said the energy storage system can respond to grid operators' power demands within milliseconds. Like pumped hydro storage facilities, its gravity storage system can provide long-duration energy storage.

　　The energy storage system enables renewable energy to supply baseload power at a lower cost than fossil fuels, the company said in a press release.

　　Piconi said: “Since we launched this energy storage system in November 2018, our customers have responded very positively to the market. Investors Cemex Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund also provide financial support for this. Our lithium-ion battery recently received US$110 million in Series B investment from SoftBank Vision Fund, which closed in July 2019.

　　More gravity-based energy storage systems

　　Energy storage startup North American Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES) aims to supply so-called rail energy storage. The company is developing two gravity energy storage systems called Trainline and Ridgeline.

　　ARES is developing a 50MW Trainline energy storage system with lithium-ion batteries in Nye County, Nevada, using six electric locomotives running on a 5.5-mile-long railway track with an average gradient of 7%. Each train consists of two locomotives and seven carriages with a total weight of 1,550 tons. When the train is running, it uses the third track to obtain power from the power grid to drive the motor to high altitudes. On return, the regenerative braking system generates electricity and the electric motor becomes a generator, transmitting power to the grid via a third rail.

　　Russ Weed, chief development officer of ARES, said: The response time of the Trainline energy storage system itself is 10 to 15 seconds, which is not as fast as the battery energy storage system. However, the Trainline energy storage system can be used with supercapacitors or batteries, so the response time can reach 4 seconds or less.

　　He added that the Trainline energy storage system was piloted in California, so the Nevada development is a demonstration. By the end of 2020, we aim to complete construction. The plan is for the Trainline energy storage system to eventually be powered by renewable energy.

　　Researchers are investigating other gravity energy storage technologies. According to a recent study published in the academic journal Energy, using mountains is also a viable energy storage method that can store energy for longer periods of time than lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, store energy on a larger scale, and Proven to be economically attractive for microgrids, islands and areas with high electricity costs.

　　Hydrogen as an energy storage alternative

　　Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) and partner Magnum Development announced in May last year that they planned to develop the world's largest renewable energy storage system. Its Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project will use renewable hydrogen to develop a fully clean energy storage system with an installed capacity of 1,000MW.

　　The ACES project will deploy four types of clean energy at grid scale: renewable hydrogen, compressed air energy storage (CAES), large-scale flow batteries, and solid oxide fuel cells. Paul Browning, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, said in a statement: "The energy storage technology we have developed can store energy for longer periods of time.

　　The project will be deployed in central Utah, where Magnum Development currently owns five salt caverns for hydrogen storage and is developing advanced clean energy storage (ACES) and renewable hydrogen technologies.

　　Mike McManus, senior director of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS), said that regarding Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES), renewable resources will be used to produce hydrogen.

　　He added that hydrogen is an excellent medium for long-term energy storage because it does not degrade over time, like batteries. For example, we can use solar energy to electrolyze water to separate oxygen and hydrogen, then store the pure hydrogen in caves at a certain pressure, and then use the hydrogen to supply electricity through gas turbines or fuel cells when needed. We can also blend hydrogen with natural gas to reduce the carbon footprint of natural gas power generation. Therefore, hydrogen stored in salt caverns is an energy storage alternative. It is used to generate carbon-free electricity in fuel cells and reduce carbon emissions.

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