Impact of Battery Energy Storage in a Carbon Neutral Future
As we look to the future, a lot of the traditional ways of producing and storing usable energy are looking more damaging than helpful. As a planet, sustainable solutions based on real world data are needed. With technology to harness renewable sources such as solar and wind energy, the real problem is no longer the production of clean energy but how to store and utilize the energy in maintainable fashion.
The global community has been working toward this goal by creating methods to store energy created by green methods like solar and wind power. Battery energy storage has been one way to bridge this gap, helping as a means of energy storage. The use of batteries is prevalent in our society as seen on a large scale and smaller—like electric car batteries. However, battery energy storage is far from a perfect solution to the crisis.
Though generally considered a renewable enabling technology, battery energy storage is damaging in its own right. There is a toll on the environment that comes from the battery creation process. These effects are most evident in areas where the freshwater supply is polluted by its toxic by-products. This means the goal of a carbon neutral future through battery energy storage may be difficult to achieve.
Luckily there are other methods that can address the challenges of battery energy storage. These methods fall into four main kinds of energy storage.
- Flywheel energy or kinetic energy storage is a method that uses revolving flywheels to store energy.
- Compressed air energy storage uses motors to compress air into suitable storage vessels. After being stored the compressed air can be released to produce electricity by powering a generator.
- Thermal storage is a way of storing heat or cold to be used later as an energy substitute.
- Pumped hydro energy storage involves pumping water up a hill and then letting it fall into a lower chamber harnessing the energy created.
The aforementioned technologies have their respective leverages on battery energy storage, but utilize different methods.
Among these storage technologies is kinetic energy storage or flywheel energy storage. They require very little upkeep once they are set up which indicate its long-term economical benefits. Another advantage of flywheel energy storage is its ability to operate in a wide temperature range without compromising performance, proving to be particularly ideal in areas with harsh and rugged environmental conditions.
Flywheel storage is quickly coming out to be a superior solution and Amber Kinetics is the company leading the way. Amber Kinetics is set apart from competing flywheel energy storage companies for its long discharge duration ability. Apart from the performance of its technology, the company keeps sustainability at the heart of its business by promoting environmentally friendly practices from material sourcing to working with its customers to recycle flywheels at the end of their lifespan. Amber Kinetics puts the planet first while it brings forth the energy storage technology of the future.
