Energy storage: Difference between revisions

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In the pursuit of green [[energy]], storage is needed for 2 reasons:
In the pursuit of green [[energy]], storage is needed for 2 reasons:
# To smooth out the intermittency of [[solar]] and [[wind]] power.
# To smooth out the intermittency of [[solar]] and [[wind]] power.
# To store energy in [[electric vehicles|electric vehicles]] without gasoline or diesel.
# To store energy in [[electric vehicles]].


==How much would be needed?==
<small>Note: This page does not include [[thermal energy storage]].</small>
 
==Types / Candidates==
{|class="wikitable"
!Type
!Status
|-
|[[Sodium-ion batteries]]
|Good potential / needs investment.
|-
|[[Sodium-sulfur batteries]]
|Good potential / needs investment.
|-
|[[Hydrogen gas]]
|Okay for some applications, but too lossy & platinum-intensive for others.
|-
|[[Lithium ferro phosphate batteries]]<!--(LiFePo4 or LFP)-->
|Okay if used in moderation. A bit too lithium-intensive to be a general solution.
|-
|[[Lithium-ion batteries]] <small>(NMC/NCA type)</small>
|Not scalable enough: Too [[cobalt]]-intensive.
|-
|[[Lithium-sulfur batteries]]
|Can't handle enough charge cycles.<!--
|-
|Lithium Titanate (Li4Ti5O12 or LTO)
|? -->
|-
|[[Lead-acid batteries]]
|Toxic / hazardous.
|-
!colspan=2|Stationary storage only (power grid, not vehicles)
|-
|[[Iron redox flow batteries]]
|Good potential / needs investment.
|-
|[[Compressed air energy storage|Compressed air]]
|?
|-
|[[Pumped hydro]]
|Only viable in rare geographical locations.
|-
|[[Flywheels]]
|?
|-
|[[Gravity blocks]]
|Not viable: Outrageously high environmental footprint of construction.
|-
|}
<small>For more details, read the wikipage of each energy storage type. Links are in the table.</small>
 
So far, sodium-based batteries seem to have the [[the great battery challenge|most hope]] of being a widespread solution - along with iron-based batteries for stationary energy storage.
 
<!--
==How much energy storage might be needed?==
Some quick estimates:


===Vehicles===
===Vehicles===
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}}
}}
{{dp
{{dp
|timescale
|storage_timescale
|24 hours
|24 hours
|How big the "buffer" of energy storage would have to be to be resiliant against weather fluctuations
|How big the "buffer" of energy storage would have to be to be resiliant against weather fluctuations
Line 45: Line 100:
}}
}}
{{calc
{{calc
|other_energy.tfc * timescale
|other_energy.tfc * storage_timescale
|terajoules
|terajoules
|other_energy_storage_needed
|other_energy_storage_needed
Line 53: Line 108:
There are more options for this type of energy storage, because it's stationary (not moving in a vehicle).
There are more options for this type of energy storage, because it's stationary (not moving in a vehicle).


===How much storage is this really?===
These numbers might be reused on other wikipages to assess the large-scale viability of various types of energy storage. Don't worry if you're not familiar with <code>terajoules</code> as an [[energy/units|energy unit]].
Most people aren't familiar with terajoules. Let's express it instead in terms of "gallons of gasoline equivalent energy" per person.
{{dp
|world.population
|7.95 billion
}}
{{calc
|(other_energy_storage_needed + vehicle_energy_storage_needed) / world.population
|gallons gasoline per capita
}}
 
This much energy has to be stored in some other way (not gasoline).
 
==Types==
 
===Hydrogen gas===
 
===Lithium-ion batteries===
 
[[Lithium-ion batteries]] are the current standard for electric cars and most small gadgets (phones, laptops, etc).
 
Is there enough lithium?
{{dp
|<nowiki>li_ion.cell_voltage</nowiki>
|<nowiki>3.6 volts</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Voltage of a single lithium-ion cell.</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.cei.washington.edu/education/science-of-solar/battery-technology/</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
https://www.fluxpower.com/blog/what-is-the-energy-density-of-a-lithium-ion-battery</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
It's 3.6 volts for the "cobalt type" of lithium-ion battery. Other types might have a very slightly different voltage.</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>li_ion.lithium_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>0.3 grams per amp hour li_ion.cell_voltage</nowiki>
|<nowiki>To store a given amount of energy in lithium-ion batteries, this is how much lithium would be needed.</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://batteryguy.com/kb/knowledge-base/how-to-calculate-the-lithium-content-in-a-battery/</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
The article says lithium per amp hour. We convert this to lithium per watt hour (energy), by including the cell voltage.</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>lithium.reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>18425000 tonnes</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Lithium metal: Total global mineral reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.statista.com/statistics/268790/countries-with-the-largest-lithium-reserves-worldwide/</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Added up all the countries: 9,200,000 + 4,700,000 + 1,900,000 + 1,500,000 + 750,000 + 220,000 + 95,000 + 60,000 = 18,425,000 metric tons</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>li_ion.cobalt_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>20 kg per 100 kilowatt hours</nowiki>
|<nowiki>To store a given amount of energy, in lithium-ion batteries (cobalt type), this is how much cobalt would be needed.</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/reducing-reliance-cobalt-lithium-ion-batteries</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>cobalt.reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>7.1 million tonnes</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Cobalt metal: Total global mineral reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.statista.com/statistics/264930/global-cobalt-reserves/</nowiki>
}}
{{calc
|vehicle_energy_storage_needed * li_ion.lithium_by_energy
|% lithium.reserves
}}
{{calc
|other_energy_storage_needed * li_ion.lithium_by_energy
|% lithium.reserves
}}
 
Just barely. How about cobalt?
{{calc
|vehicle_energy_storage_needed * li_ion.cobalt_by_energy
|% cobalt.reserves
}}
{{calc
|other_energy_storage_needed * li_ion.cobalt_by_energy
|% cobalt.reserves
}}
 
Not viable.
 
===Iron-redox flow batteries===
 
[[Iron-redox flow batteries]] are a type of battery made from mostly [[iron]], an extremely abundant metal.
 
But this battery comes with a few challanges:
* The iron has to be kept ''molten'' at very hot temperatures.
** Hence it's only viable to build a battery the size of a [[shipping container]], not smaller.
** This battery is '''not''' suited for electric vehicles.
 
===Flywheels===


===Compressed air===


===Gravity blocks===
TODO:
* Improve the above commented-out calculations.
* Put them in templates {{Grid energy storage}} and {{Vehicle energy storage}}
* Use the templates on the wikipage of each energy storage type.
-->
[[Category:Energy storage]]

Latest revision as of 15:57, 26 February 2024

In the pursuit of green energy, storage is needed for 2 reasons:

  1. To smooth out the intermittency of solar and wind power.
  2. To store energy in electric vehicles.

Note: This page does not include thermal energy storage.

Types / Candidates

Type Status
Sodium-ion batteries Good potential / needs investment.
Sodium-sulfur batteries Good potential / needs investment.
Hydrogen gas Okay for some applications, but too lossy & platinum-intensive for others.
Lithium ferro phosphate batteries Okay if used in moderation. A bit too lithium-intensive to be a general solution.
Lithium-ion batteries (NMC/NCA type) Not scalable enough: Too cobalt-intensive.
Lithium-sulfur batteries Can't handle enough charge cycles.
Lead-acid batteries Toxic / hazardous.
Stationary storage only (power grid, not vehicles)
Iron redox flow batteries Good potential / needs investment.
Compressed air ?
Pumped hydro Only viable in rare geographical locations.
Flywheels ?
Gravity blocks Not viable: Outrageously high environmental footprint of construction.

For more details, read the wikipage of each energy storage type. Links are in the table.

So far, sodium-based batteries seem to have the most hope of being a widespread solution - along with iron-based batteries for stationary energy storage.

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