Energy Storage - An Introduction & Overview

This article needs development, as I am not 100% sure of the energy mix. But here's a start anyway. Energy storage will be a key factor for the success of the Xandika project. I have begun by looking at the overview of energy storage and what amazing things people are imagining, inventing and creating....

PICTURE ON LEFT: Flywheel storage. In essence this keeps a flywheel spinning in a non friction environment. Energy is added to speed the wheel up and when is required energy is drawn off and the wheel naturally slows down.

All forms of energy are either:

1. Potential Energy (eg. chemical, gravitational or electrical energy): A wind up clock stores potential energy (in this case mechanical, in the spring tension), a battery stores readily convertible chemical energy to keep a clock chip in a computer running (electrically) even when the computer is turned off. A hydroelectric dam stores power in a reservoir as gravitational potential energy.

2.kinetic energy (eg. thermal energy): Ice storage tanks store ice (thermal energy)at night to meet peak demand for cooling. Fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline store ancient energy from sunlight. Even food (which is made by the same process as was fossil fuel) is a form of energy stored in chemical form.

Basic Storage methods

1. Chemical

• Hydrogen
• Biofuels
• Liquid nitrogen
• Oxyhydrogen
• Hydrogen peroxide

2.Biological

• Starch
• Glycogen

3. Electrochemical

• Batteries
• Flow batteries
• Fuel cells

4. Electrical

• Capacitor
• Supercapacitor
• Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)

5. Mechanical

• Compressed air energy storage (CAES)
• Flywheel energy storage
• Hydraulic accumulator
• Hydroelectric energy storage
• Spring

6. Thermal

• Ice Storage
• Molten salt [1]
• Cryogenic liquid air or nitrogen
• Seasonal thermal store
• Solar pond
• Hot bricks
• Steam accumulator
• Fireless locomotive

7. Fuel Conservation storage