Advancements in energy storage boosting reliable and clean power solutions

Lithium-ion batteries, with high energy density and declining costs, power everything from EVs to grid storage. Flow batteries offer long-duration storage ideal for balancing renewable sources, while solid-state batteries, though still in development, promise improved safety and lifespan.

Energy storage helps achieve sustainability targets by allowing more renewable energy use, reducing fossil fuel dependence, and reducing carbon output. It balances power supply and demand, ensuring steady electricity from intermittent renewables like solar and wind.

Current efforts to minimise its environmental impact include creating sustainable battery materials such as sodium-ion options and setting up recycling systems to recover valuable materials from used batteries. Also, efforts are being made to ensure ethical sourcing of minerals like lithium and cobalt. Together, these strategies aim to make energy storage more environmentally friendly while supporting the transition to clean energy.

Latest advancements

A significant shift toward using circular materials, such as lithium and sodium, further enhances sustainability. These materials are being recycled and reused, reducing environmental harm and extending their life cycle.

Increasing the amount of energy stored is vital to making energy storage even more sustainable. This is where the usage and storage of renewable energy come into play. Improving energy storage capabilities ensures that more renewable energy can be captured and used when needed, reducing dependency on non-renewable sources and making the overall system more efficient and eco-friendly.

Lithium-ion batteries, with high energy density and declining costs, power everything from EVs to grid storage. Flow batteries offer long-duration storage ideal for balancing renewable sources, while solid-state batteries, though still in development, promise improved safety and lifespan. Mature technologies like pumped hydro storage enable large-scale energy retention by moving water uphill, while thermal energy storage captures heat in materials like molten salts to stabilise the grid. Together, these innovations enhance grid stability, support renewable integration, lower energy costs, decentralise power generation, and provide essential backup during emergencies, making energy supply more secure and resilient.

Enhance grid reliability

Energy storage is vital in enhancing grid reliability, particularly as renewable energy sources like solar and wind become more integrated into the power system. While renewables offer significant environmental benefits, they also present challenges. For instance, solar energy is only available during the daytime, and wind energy fluctuates depending on weather conditions. This is where energy storage becomes indispensable. By storing excess renewable energy during peak production times, such as sunny or windy periods, and releasing it when production dips or during peak demand, energy storage helps smooth out the variability of these sources, ensuring a constant, reliable power supply without relying on fossil fuels.

Energy storage also improves grid resilience, especially during extreme weather conditions. During high-demand periods or natural disasters, storage systems provide backup power, ensuring critical infrastructure remains operational during outages. Storage helps prevent grid overload by managing peak demand, and it plays a key role in maintaining the grid’s frequency, which is essential for keeping power distribution stable. By enabling the creation of microgrids, energy storage can provide power to remote or disaster-prone areas, making the grid more reliable and resilient.

Decreasing costs and government policies

Decreasing energy storage costs makes renewable energy more competitive, benefiting industries and economies. Cheaper costs lead to lower energy prices, boosting business profits and efficiency. This allows more renewables to be used and drives investment in clean energy projects, creating jobs and economic growth.

Government policies are key to this trend as they offer incentives and subsidies that make energy storage more available. Supportive rules encourage private investment, while government money for research and development cuts costs and improves technology. Public-private partnerships further accelerate deployment and innovation, driving the transition to a more sustainable energy future.

Hence, advancements in energy storage enable a balanced mix of energy sources and reduce reliance on coal. By efficiently storing excess renewable energy from solar and wind, energy storage systems allow for a smoother integration of renewables into the grid. This reduces the need for coal-fired power during peak demand, lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, promoting domestic manufacturing of energy storage technologies can reduce dependence on imports, boost local economies, and create jobs. A self-sufficient energy ecosystem with robust storage solutions facilitates a transition to cleaner energy and enhances grid reliability and resilience.

Authored by: Amlan Kanti Das, Head of Battery Technology- Luminous Power Technologies