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Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Discussions of conventional and alternative energy production technologies.

Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 16:53:24

KaiserJeep wrote:It seems to me that large scale energy storage is another of those obsolete ideas. We don't know any good way of doing so, aside from pumped storage associated with hydropower facilities, and all the really good hydropower has already been built.
We still have plent of good locations left for pumped storage. The US has around 20 GW of existing pumped storage. Permits have already been granted for an additional 37 GW, more than doubling existing capacity. Compared to other industrial nations the US has low amounts of pumped storage. The US has 2% of generation, Europe 5%, and Japan 10%. However the US has problems with licensing, regulation, market structures, etc that make deployment of pumped hydro problematic.

According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), there are a 24 operating pumped-storage projects under its jurisdiction, with a total installed capacity of about 16,500 MW. Only one of these projects was authorized in the past 30 years.

The barriers that prevent new pumped storage from being developed are slowly being recognized and reduced and/or removed. For example, Mursch says, there is a lack of markets to fairly compensate pumped storage for the many electrical benefits it brings to the grid. The U.S. Department of Energy recently provided funding to Argonne National Laboratory to model/quantify these benefits. Argonne is leading a team that is seeking to provide a comprehensive study of the technical and market operations, economics and value of conventional hydro and pumped-storage plants for power system operation, including their role in accommodating a larger share of variable renewable energy sources.

Another example is the time it takes to get a project licensed as compared with other technologies. NHA says gas plants can be licensed in fewer than two years, while pumped storage may take five to six years. Many developers today are considering closed-loop systems because they are more environmentally benign and FERC is looking to reduce licensing time for these facilities to two years.

The Energy Storage Association reports that the 40 total pumped-storage facilities operating in the U.S. provide more than 20,000 GW of capacity, or nearly 2% of the country's electrical supply system. While these numbers may sound good, compare the shares in Europe (nearly 5%) and Japan (about 10%). It is clear we have a long way to go in the U.S.

However, the number of pumped-storage projects in the U.S. looks set to jump considerably. FERC says there are about 50 active preliminary permits for these projects, representing more than 37,000 MW of capacity. And while only a third of the operating projects under FERC's jurisdiction are located west of the Mississippi River, more than 80% of the preliminary permits are located west of the Mississippi, where the majority of existing and proposed solar and wind generation is located.
A (Potentially) Bright Future for Pumped Storage in the U.S.

KaiserJeep wrote:I believe distributed wind and solar are a better answer. We abandon a business model that requires large central power plants and a power grid, in favor of distributed power generation and distributed power storage. You can easily power a single family residence with $10,000 in solar panels or a wind turbine, and a Powerwall battery increases that tab another 50%. After that, no monthly power bills for 20-30 years. When we do this, we give each and every homeowner a very good reason to conserve energy, a motive he feels in his pocketbook.
It seems to me this approach would be more expensive than going with large central power plants. You get a lot of economy of scale advantages by going with a central grid style approach.

According to GTM Research the average residential household in the U.S. installs a 5 kWh system and during Q2 2016, it cost about $3.00 per DC watt or $15,000 (5000 times $3.00) before incentives. Utilities on the other hand typically install systems in the 100 mega-watt or greater range. The installed fixed utility system cost during Q2 2016 in the U.S. was $1.25 per watt (average) and is expected to gradually drop to under $1.00 by 2020

Avg. US Installed Capital Costs - Q2 2016 (GTM) Cost Per Watt (DC)
Residential Rooftop $3.00
Large Commercial $1.88
Utility Scale (Fixed) $1.25
What Does Solar Electricity Cost?

I think there are better ways to encourage conservation of energy than forcing every resident to become a power producer. A tax on energy, more stringent building codes, delayed appliance usage, in home electricity meters that tell you your current electricity consumption, current electricity rates, current electricity bill, etc.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby ROCKMAN » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:07:56

KJ - "You can easily power a single family residence with $10,000 in solar panels..." But same ole problem: that's only a theoretical possibility and will remain so until folks choose to do so. Such as the 50,000 citizens of Georgetown, Texas, that HAVE NOT gone with individual applications. Just as the overwhelming majority of Texans have also not done: 0.25% of solar energy in the state come from individual installations.

Would that be better then Georgetown going commercial solar and wind with fossil fuel backup? Of course, but that wasn't happening. But when the local politicians offered the voters the chance for long term alt energy they went for it. And with the potentially complimentary wind and solar the town may rarely have to draw on those NG/coal plants: the wind blows at night and day while solar worked during the day when summer AC demand is high. IOW a commercial alt energy that's being implemented is vastly superior to tens of thousands of individual installations that are not being implemented.

k - You also have a good theoretical plan...just like KJ. And the same problem: the political leaders of Georgetown could have taken your approach first. But they didn't. Which is why they still hold office and haven't been voted out. LOL
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:25:06

Graeme wrote:I'd like to start thread on this topic because there isn't one. There is one on compressed air storage but this thread is for other storage technologies too, in particular, the development and recent advances in energy storage. I'll start with an assessment by IEA in 2009, and a second by EU Parliament in 2008.

I believe that the largest cost associated with hydro pumped storage and hydropower in general is the extreme environmental damage caused by dam construction, and by the suppression of the periodic water level changes that renew the riparian woodlands below the dams.

The hydro we have we should keep, that damage is already done. But we should avoid building any more. Full disclosure: one of my hobbies is fishing.

As for the rest of your argument, I am discounting it entirely, because you made the same error everybody tends to make: you want to continue our energy-hog lifestyles unchanged. What I want is to renew the infrastructure of this country and reduce the energy we consume to 15% of the present amount. I would continue with comfortable lifestyles that are equivalent to today, but more energy efficient. I think that the present distributed power generation and storage tech is more than sufficient to do so, and will innately require that the individual homeowners conserve energy. Try trading off a $15,000 cost increase for a typical suburban home against 25 years of monthly power bills - distributed power costs less than half of what the central power grid costs. Not to mention: It tacks a few percentage points of cost onto a new home's construction, with a payback in less than 10 years. If it causes you to alter your plans and build a smaller, more energy-efficient structure - that's a good thing.

Your plan to continue large central power plants and require that we keep the most expensive part of the power grid, which is the last mile or so between a power substation and the consumer. Those that do not want to build Net Zero Energy homes are welcome to live in higher density housing and pay monthly for a grid connection.

So we need to quit attempting to preserve our energy-intensive lifestyles and change them instead. Scrapping the least efficient half of the power grid, plus the least efficient half of the existing power plants - such as all the coal plants, for example - is a good start. (I hate coal.)
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:38:07

ROCKMAN wrote:KJ - "You can easily power a single family residence with $10,000 in solar panels..." But same ole problem: that's only a theoretical possibility and will remain so until folks choose to do so. Such as the 50,000 citizens of Georgetown, Texas, that HAVE NOT gone with individual applications. Just as the overwhelming majority of Texans have also not done: 0.25% of solar energy in the state come from individual installations.

Would that be better then Georgetown going commercial solar and wind with fossil fuel backup? Of course, but that wasn't happening. But when the local politicians offered the voters the chance for long term alt energy they went for it. And with the potentially complimentary wind and solar the town may rarely have to draw on those NG/coal plants: the wind blows at night and day while solar worked during the day when summer AC demand is high. IOW a commercial alt energy that's being implemented is vastly superior to tens of thousands of individual installations that are not being implemented.

k - You also have a good theoretical plan...just like KJ. And the same problem: the political leaders of Georgetown could have taken your approach first. But they didn't. Which is why they still hold office and haven't been voted out. LOL


RM, everything we know how to do is possible. My kickoff for infrastructure renewal is simple: give 20 years notice first, then ban the mining, transport, burning, and export of coal. No exceptions. We don't have to do anything about the oil and natural gas, it will all soon be gone on it's own.

Now require that every existing residence comply with existing energy standards once every 50 years. Fail that test, and your house gets bulldozed, so you better pay attention - no exceptions, again.

Of course, if you don't own anything attached to a power grid or a gas main, you ARE compliant. Passing the once-every-50-year test then becomes a simple task of allowing an inspection to make sure you are not hiding a big LPG tank or a gas/diesel generator. No problem, right?

Infrastructure renewal is absolutely necessary. Don't waste any time thinking about preserving an energy hog existence. Fix or replace the inefficient infrastructure we have. I have talked only about residences, but the same 15% of current energy goals would also be applied to businesses and government structures.

Transportation energy can be similarly reduced, many young people are not only not buying vehicles, they don't even have a license to drive - nor do they want one. Everything you need to buy can be dropped at your door by a robot vehicle or flying drone. M<ass transit that works is the rest of it.

This is a serious proposal. We can do this, we lack only a detailed plan and the will to succeed.
Last edited by KaiserJeep on Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:43:32, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:42:14

Rock - Pumped hydro is far from theoretical. It represents 99% of existing grid storage and is a proven commercial technology. The US has plans to double it's pumped storage capacity. Yet the guys who approved it are not being voted out of office. And it's not just in the US. Global deployments of pumped hydro are going on as well:

In May this year the International Hydropower Association (IHA) released its 2015 Key Trends in Hydropower report, showing that 1.46 GW of new pumped storage capacity was put into operation in 2014.
It is clear that the advantages of pumped hydro in terms of voltage and frequency regulation of the grid and reserve capacity capabilities make the technology increasingly attractive, particularly in the face of the increasing influence of variable output renewables such as wind and solar.
The IHA says in Europe, pumped storage continues to be a focus, with new facilities totalling 8,600 MW in the planning and construction stages.

proposals have been put forward that would see a 600 MW solar plant coupled with a 300 MW pump-storage facility in Chile. According to the proposals from developer Valhalla Energy and submitted to Chile’s environmental regulatory authorities (Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental, SEIA), the hydroelectric pumped-storage plant set for the northern Tarapaca region will use seawater. North America is on a roll, with a raft of announcements suggestive of a buoyant market for additional pumped storage capacity. In September, for example, GB Energy Park LLC and Alstom announced an agreement for equipment supply for the 400 MW Gordon Butte project.
Pumped Storage Hydropower Round-up

Due to the technology-cost gap of other storage technologies and other factors such as the growing penetration of renewables, pumped hydro is resurging globally: in China and Europe, and it is again being considered in Japan, Canada, and the US.
The Global Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) Market Report 2016

These seem like good developments IMHO. Pumped hydro is a good compliment to the increasing grid penetration rates of intermittents like solar and wind.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 17:44:48

KJ - you quoted Graeme but I am assuming your comments were directed at me.

KaiserJeep wrote:I believe that the largest cost associated with hydro pumped storage and hydropower in general is the extreme environmental damage caused by dam construction, and by the suppression of the periodic water level changes that renew the riparian woodlands below the dams.

The hydro we have we should keep, that damage is already done. But we should avoid building any more. Full disclosure: one of my hobbies is fishing.
Closed loop systems seem to be getting more attention because of the environmental damage concerns.

KaiserJeep wrote:As for the rest of your argument, I am discounting it entirely, because you made the same error everybody tends to make: you want to continue our energy-hog lifestyles unchanged.
I am assuming you missed entirely the section where I talked about my thoughts on energy reduction strategies and thus came to this erroneous conclusion. I did not suggest continuing our energy-hog lifestyles unchanged. I said I felt there were better options for reducing energy consumption than turning every household into a power plant.

KaiserJeep wrote:What I want is to renew the infrastructure of this country and reduce the energy we consume to 15% of the present amount. I would continue with comfortable lifestyles that are equivalent to today, but more energy efficient. I think that the present distributed power generation and storage tech is more than sufficient to do so, and will innately require that the individual homeowners conserve energy. Try trading off a $15,000 cost increase for a typical suburban home against 25 years of monthly power bills - distributed power costs less than half of what the central power grid costs. Not to mention: It tacks a few percentage points of cost onto a new home's construction, with a payback in less than 10 years. If it causes you to alter your plans and build a smaller, more energy-efficient structure - that's a good thing.
I am going to have to agree with Rockman on this one. Your proposal here is not politically feasible. Mandating people reduce household energy consumption by 85% seems like setting yourself up to get voted out of office.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 18:18:16

I'm not arguing about something that simply HAS TO BE DONE.

The average American home consumes energy like this:
Image
...and we simply ARE NOT reducing our energy consumption over time, in spite of various government programs such as Energy Star. The paltry 20% reduction over the last 30 years does not keep up with the increased number of housing units.
Image

Most PO.com members understand that we are running out of FF's. We do in fact need to reduce our total energy consumption by 85%, at which point we can use only renewable sources. The politically acceptable tactics we have been using are not working.

The idea that your residence must meet the standard once every 50 years is not extreme. When I was a student, I lived in 50+ year old housing in a MidWestern Winter, without enjoying it, as it was not at all comfortable.

In your estimation, how long should an energy hog residence be allowed to exist? When your rent is $500/month and your heat costs you $500/month, it really bites. But when rent is $500/month and heat is $2500/month, I don't think you will live there any more. A place like that should be bulldozed if it can't be made efficient.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby ROCKMAN » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 18:30:19

k - "Rock - Pumped hydro is far from theoretical." You missed my meaning. It's not any of the methods that are theoretical. It's the theoretical assumption that because a method works and is economic that it will be utilized on a large scale. A point I thought I could make to KJ: you can't get a large % of the US population to get off the asses and do something as cheap, easy and economical to do like blowing a few more inches of insulation into their attics. And these are the same folks one might expect to spend $thousands to modify their homes and install solar? The same public that can solve our obesity problem by simply not doing something...like eating as much? Which would also save them money. These are the same folks who THEORETICALLY can become so proactive they'll begin installing millions of individual solar systems and save themselves $BILLIONS over the coming decades?

Same question for you: I'll take your word on the feasibility and economics of pumped hydro: so why aren't we seeing thousands of those systems under construction now? One reason would be the lack of alt energy build out which could use pumped hydro. And one reason for that is the lack of someone else building out pumped hydro for the alt energy producers to take advantage of. Got a solution for that: build out the pumped hydro by the same folks who are building out the alt energy system. Just takes more capex.

So, where's the money? LOL
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 18:55:18

RM, the one reason you missed is the actual one holding back pumped hydro, and it's the same one holding back nuclear energy. The environmental lobby is fiercely opposing construction of more dams, it is not unusual for litigation expenses for a dam to exceed construction costs.

I'm actually in sympathy to that, I love fishing for Steelhead Trout and Salmon, and Fossil Fuels are going to be obsolete relatively soon.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Mon 06 Mar 2017, 20:15:15

ROCKMAN wrote:Same question for you: I'll take your word on the feasibility and economics of pumped hydro: so why aren't we seeing thousands of those systems under construction now? One reason would be the lack of alt energy build out which could use pumped hydro. And one reason for that is the lack of someone else building out pumped hydro for the alt energy producers to take advantage of. Got a solution for that: build out the pumped hydro by the same folks who are building out the alt energy system. Just takes more capex.

So, where's the money? LOL
I listed several of the reasons in my previous posts. There is more to getting something done than it being economical. You already mentioned one issue in that our existing storage was adequate for our needs. However this is now changing. With the increasing penetration rates of intermittents in our grid our energy storage needs are also growing. Another issue was the reason KJ sited: environmental opposition. A third issue has to do with the deregulated grid. Those areas of the grid who would most benefit from growing energy storage are either prohibited by regulations or disincentivized by the current structure of our grid:

Developing additional hydropower pumped storage, particularly in areas with recently increased wind and solar capacity, would significantly improve grid reliability while reducing the need for construction of additional fossil-fueled generation. Hydropower pumped storage is “astoundingly efficient…In this future world where we want renewables to get 20%, 30%, or 50% of our electricity generation, you need pumped hydro storage. It’s an incredible opportunity and it’s actually the lowest cost clean energy option.” – U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu

While benefits of expanding pumped storage capacity are clear, current market structures and regulatory frameworks do not present an effective means of achieving this goal. Since deregulation of the electric industry, there is no regulatory mechanism or market price incentive for the effective integration of new generation, energy storage, and transmission (Miller, 2010). Yet these are three components of a reliable energy generation and transmission system that require coordinated, long-term planning.
Challenges and Opportunities For New Pumped Storage Development

Prohibition on ownership by TSOS and operation by DNOs
The characterisation of storage as a form of generation has an impact on who can own and operate storage assets. The liberalisation of the electricity market required the splitting up of those segments which are natural monopolies (transmission and distribution) from those which are open to competition (generation and supply). Transmission System Operators (TSOs) are prohibited from owning licenced generation assets and Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) must guarantee the operational independence of any licenced generation assets they own through stringent legal, accounting and functional unbundling requirements. Since storage is classed as a form of generation, this means that TSOs and DNOs cannot own or operate any generating asset which requires a licence. Whilst they may own storage assets that do not require a licence (i.e. those that a smaller than 50MW), this represents an obstacle to the development of large scale storage.

A further obstacle to the development of large scale storage comes from the de minimis restrictions placed on DNOs. DNOs may not generate more than 2.5% of their revenue from non-distribution activities or make investments in non-distribution activities that exceed on an aggregate basis 2.5% of their issued share capital, share premium and consolidated reserves. While the current scale of storage does not come close to threatening these de minimis restrictions, if storage is to become an integral part of the electricity market, it may soon become an issue.

These barriers to entry on TSOs and DNOs prevent the organisations that are best placed to manage the smart grid from acquiring the assets to do so. While the ownership restrictions clearly represent an opportunity for independent storage operators, they also present an obstacle to widespread storage uptake. DNOs, in particular, are better able to exploit storage’s potential by optimising storage assets to balance the system. They also have the scale, technical expertise and financial clout to develop large scale storage projects. Therefore the restrictions on DNOs and TSOs pose a significant obstacle to integrating storage into the UK’s electricity sector.
Energy Storage – Is the regulation ready for what’s in store?
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby Zarquon » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 01:21:33

You guys focus on the electricity consumption of private users. IIRC that's maybe a third of of total use. You'd need to cover every shopping mall in PV, not to speak of industry. How much kW does it take to light a big-box store? Or a car factory? What we need are lots of PV utilities, where the installation cost per kW is half of your rooftop system, feeding the grid.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 01:28:03

Zarquon wrote:You guys focus on the electricity consumption of private users. IIRC that's maybe a third of of total use. You'd need to cover every shopping mall in PV, not to speak of industry. How much kW does it take to light a big-box store? Or a car factory? What we need are lots of PV utilities, where the installation cost per kW is half of your rooftop system, feeding the grid.


Here in Silicon Valley, we cover factories with solar panels that offset much of the electricity used. We cover parking lots at malls for the same reason. Every High School has a student parking lot covered with solar PV. Solar powered kiosks exist with fast chargers for EVs.

This electricity is consumed as it is generated, no need for storage.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby Shaved Monkey » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 03:14:02

KaiserJeep wrote:Image
.

When I look at that graph I see I dont have heating, air con or hot water heating(100% solar) and I have solar panels.
My lights are mainly LED and they dont get turned on much and all my appliances are 5 star rated

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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 03:23:13

KaiserJeep wrote:...and we simply ARE NOT reducing our energy consumption over time, in spite of various government programs such as Energy Star. The paltry 20% reduction over the last 30 years does not keep up with the increased number of housing units.

Most PO.com members understand that we are running out of FF's. We do in fact need to reduce our total energy consumption by 85%, at which point we can use only renewable sources. The politically acceptable tactics we have been using are not working.
This isn't the case anymore. Overall electricity consumption is falling.

Electricity sales in 2016 fell, the sixth year in the past ten in which America’s electricity users managed to do with less. The 1.3 percent drop in total consumption in 2016 looks small but it comes despite economic growth and lower real price of electricity. In the old days a 1.6 percent improvement in real gross domestic product (GDP) and a 2.5 percent real price decrease together should have spurred consumers to use at least 1-2 percent more electricity. But, with similar conditions in both 2015 and 2016, kWh sales declined in both years.

The old elasticity patterns have already broken down, and what comes next might be worse for the industry. Weakness in domestic electricity sales does not bode well for prospective sales of coal or natural gas to the electricity industry. In addition, renewables will continue to take a small but growing slice of the Amer-ican kilowatt-hour pie.

The possibility that devices will automatically control demand does not bode well for electric generators, either. The electric utilities hope to salvage their situation by investing in providing more reliable service. This includes the smart devices on customer premises that will reduce the demand that helps to sell fuel, power in bulk and capacity. Unless sales begin to pick up again, the component parts of the electricity industry may end up at each other’s’ throats fighting for pieces of a shrinking pie.
Electricity Consumption Continues To Fall
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby KaiserJeep » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 03:30:10

Shaved Monkey, I don't think you are correct. The chart only displays the BTUs used for each purpose, it cares nothing about whether you got that BTU from burning coal or from a solar collector.

I suggested and do believe that if you are not connected to the power grid or a gas main, and don't burn LPG or heating oil or wood or in fact anything that spews carbon into the atmosphere, you are copacetic.

But never forget that we need to decrease our carbon spewing habits by 85% as a nation. Simple enough goal, but hard to do.

kublikhan, what is decreasing is energy consumption per household, to the tune of -20% in the last 30 years. But overall energy consumption is higher than ever because there are more households.
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Tue 07 Mar 2017, 03:57:13

KaiserJeep wrote:kublikhan, what is decreasing is energy consumption per household, to the tune of -20% in the last 30 years. But overall energy consumption is higher than ever because there are more households.
You are looking at older data. More recent data shows overall electricity consumption falling. US electricity consumption seems to have peaked in 2014 and has been falling ever since. And that's overall generation. Because renewables have been growing during that time FF generation has been falling even faster than overall generation.

U.S. Electricity Generation billion kWh per day
Year______ 2014 2015 2016 2017
Generation 11.18 11.17 11.15 11.13
SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby kublikhan » Tue 21 Mar 2017, 19:20:56

The coal industry may be dying, but the skeletons left behind in the form of abandoned mines can provide new life. The water left behind by the once industrious business is planned to be used by the state of Virginia, in the development of pumped storage hydroelectric power plants.

Pumped storage facilities do exist elsewhere in Virginia, but using water from abandoned coal mines is an innovation yet to be tested anywhere in the world. A similar pumped hydro project in Southern California has been recently licensed, and if all goes smoothly there, it would provide a worthy precedent for supporters of the Virginian counterpart.

This proposal is being looked at in conjunction with plans to build wind farms in Virginia – these types of storage systems are the battery component necessary to make renewable energy sources feasible. This concern is especially relevant as we approach the summer months where demand for electricity skyrockets, and with an ever-increasing appetite for new renewable energy in Virginia. Indeed, the largest pumped-storage facility in the world happens to be in Virginia, in operation since the 1980s.

Unlike any other types of power plants, pumped hydro plants are free from many of the rules, regulations, and license requirements that traditionally govern the establishment and building process. The benefits are attractive. Hundreds of jobs would be created at the construction site of each new facility, new sources of tax revenue would be found for local economies, and the transition to renewable energy becomes much easier for the state legislative body.
Virginia Plans To Turn Abandoned Coal Mines Into Hydropower Storage
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby Shaved Monkey » Thu 30 Mar 2017, 08:20:06

Another big battery for South Australia
The biggest in the world on top of the other one the premier promised which was going to be the biggest in Australia

..........................................................
A $1 billion solar-battery farm to be built by Lyon Group and Downer EDI in South Australia's Riverland will be the world's largest and ready to help prevent blackouts in the state's fragile power grid by next summer.

Lyon Group, a Brisbane-based partnership headed by David Green and backed by Mitsubishi of Japan and US hedge fund Magnetar Capital, has secured land and will start construction in June to be operational in December.

The project includes a 330 megawatt solar farm costing $700 million and a 100MW battery with four hours of storage – or 400MWh capacity. Grid connection negotiations are well advanced on privately owned scrubland land near the town of Morgan.

A battery farm of that size would have been big enough to prevent the partial SA blackout on February 8 - but not the epic blackout that crippled the state on September 28 last year.

The Riverland project isn't dependent on the tender for grid scale batteries to fortify SA's fragile power grid announced by the Weatherill government two weeks ago - but the outcome of that tender could influence the final configuration of the Riverland project.

Lyon is set to be the first to put batteries on the ground in the race to build a world-scale storage project in Australia.

The project looms as a gamechanger in the roiling debate over how to fix SA's energy security woes and fortify the wider national grid as large eastern states follow SA's lead and install more wind and solar energy, triggering the retirement of old, coal fired power stations such as Victoria's 1600MW Hazelwood plant, which shut down its last turbines on Wednesday.

Lyon also intends to be a bidder for the 100MW storage battery contract being let by the SA government for which expressions of interest close on Friday.
http://www.afr.com/business/energy/sola ... 330-gv9tvc
its behind a pay wall but if you have no script on Firefox and set it as untrusted you can read it. (well I can )
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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby Zarquon » Thu 30 Mar 2017, 11:19:58

Shaved Monkey wrote:its behind a pay wall but if you have no script on Firefox and set it as untrusted you can read it. (well I can )
Disconnect also allows you to read it


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Re: Prospects for large-scale energy storage

Unread postby Shaved Monkey » Thu 30 Mar 2017, 19:11:17

Here it is for free in the Guardian

South Australia to get $1bn solar farm and world's biggest battery

System will include 3.4m solar panels and 1.1m batteries, with operations set to begin by end of 2017

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... st-battery
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