Special report - Electricity Storage part 4/5: No means of affordably storing large volumes of electricity in all geographies exists, but a robust grid, connected over a wide area, can deliver green energy reliability
Most storage technologies in use today have been playing a part in electricity supply for a number years, though only pumped hydro has been deployed at any significant scale (see a table of types, capabilities and principle uses here). The lack of investment in storage is a reflection of the forces of supply and demand, which indicate a limited need for the product, evident in its low market price. The services storage offers are often already provided from supplies of electricity as it is generated and at less cost, also on power systems with high proportions of renewable energy. ...
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Is electricity storage essential? Belief is a dangerous foundation for decision-making and beliefs about storage risk major investment errors
Special report - Electricity Storage part 2/5: Filling in for wind and solar over days of calm and cloudy weather is not a task storage can perform, even if it was a power system requirement
Special report - Electricity Storage part 3/5: By relieving grid bottlenecks of surplus supply and providing bursts of power when needed, storage can add sufficient value to find routes to profitability, but they are limited
Special report - Electricity Storage part 5/5: The uptake of renewable energy does not increase the need for storage capacity, but stored power can help grid operators flexibly operate power systems, provided it can pay its way
Essential knowledge and key indicators of the prospects for grid scale electricity storage technologies