U.S. to fund utility-scale storage projects - energy storage companies

WASHINGTON -
Utilities that use wind and solar power face a major challenge: how to store electricity in order to deliver it to customers when the air is still and when the sun goes down.
"Cheap energy storage is sometimes referred to as the 'Holy stone 'of renewable energy," observed a vice president in San Francisco --
PG & E based on utility.
This is the "key" to unlocking the full potential of wind, solar and other intermittent renewable energy sources ".
This is an elusive goal so far.
The company has been looking for the best way to store a lot of power in order-demand -
Just like the energy contained in the cell phone battery, it's just that the scale is quite different.
Now the goal of the federal government is to push for solutions.
They plan to provide about $0. 2 billion in grants to utilities
As part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan enacted in February, large-scale energy storage projects.
The Department of Energy said that by funding promising utilities,
These grants can help bring technology to market quickly.
These grants coincide with the growing interest in affordable energy storage, partly due to Congressional proposals to require utilities to get more power from renewable sources such
Climate change legislation will force companies to pay for greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to encourage utilities to switch to emissions
Free renewable energy.
However, on the basis of existing investment in wind energy and solar energy, the "cost-
Effective storage technology . ", D-Fla.
, An advocate of federal funding for this topic study.
Klein compared the current of solar energy to "trying to distribute water from rain"
There is no reservoir to catch water.
"Renewable energy in western Texas and other parts of the country --
Usually produced at night
Sometimes free gifts to some customers because extra things can't be stored.
But the tax incentives for renewable energy keep the turbines running, even if the electricity they generate is free or substantially discounted.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Energy said 140 applications were made for smart grid and energy storage funds.
The proposal includes a project to store wind energy in Edison, Southern California.
Lithium Power generation-
Ion batteries and plans for Portland
Commercial of rechargeable zinc based on ReVolt Technologyair batteries. Massachusetts-
Based has applied for two separate grants.
Up to $50 million in total-
Help pay for the new fly wheel facility in Glenville and Stephen townY.
, This will keep the power supply of the rotating disk.
When demand is low, these plants will take power from the grid and store it as kinetic energy in a rotating flywheel.
Power can be dispatched immediately whenever demand peaks, helping to prevent power surge by adjusting and maintaining the correct frequency of power
Effectively act as a shock absorber for the system.
PG & E is seeking $25 million to build a factory in Kern County, California
This will store energy in the form of compressed air, which is pumped into the underground reservoir.
"California is very windy, but it will be very windy at night," Crane said . ".
"Before we find a way to store this energy and use it when we need it," Solar is more attractive because the sun shines during the day, during peak demand.
PG & E plans to use compressed air facilities to store wind power at night when demand is low.
This technology allows
The peak power used to compress the air is then stored in caves, salt hills and underground reservoirs.
When energy is needed later, the air is released, heated and used to power the turbine.
Compressed air technology is built on technologies and equipment that traditional energy developers have long used, forcing more oil and gas to leave the ground.
Underground storage is a common storage method for natural gas reserves.
Some facilities are already using compressed air, including one in Germany and another in Mackintosh, Alabama.
In his 30 s.
A compressed air project in central Iowa is also being planned, which is expected to go online in 2011.
This technology can be deployed anywhere with a proper geological structure.
About 80% of the population in the United StatesS.
According to the CEO of energy storage and power companies.
Companies with second patents
Generation compressed air technology is a joint venture between utility g and inventor.
Compared with batteries and other energy storage technologies, Byrd touted the affordability of compressed air.
At $800 per kilowatt hour, he said, compressed air "stores per unit are at least 7 times cheaper than batteries.
Byrd added: "And it's easy to scale.
"One of the great things about air as a storage medium is that if you want to store it for an extra hour, most physical devices can add it" without contact, "Bird said.
"Utilities can increase their storage capacity by expanding the scale of underground caves with salt solutions or other means --
Basically the process of keeping the turbine and the generator moving.
A 2005 report commissioned by Thesaid said that compressed air energy storage will allow more wind
Power generation will be put into the grid at peak demand, which will be a "cost-
Encourage effective ways to develop wind power in Texas, Oakland and New Mexico.