Since the discovery of electricity, we have sought effective methods to store that energy for use on demand. Over the last century, the energy storage industry has continued to evolve, adapt, and innovate in response to changing energy requirements and advances in technology.
Energy storage systems provide a wide array of technological approaches to managing our power supply in order to create a more resilient energy infrastructure and bring cost savings to utilities and consumers. To help understand the diverse approaches currently being deployed around the world, we have divided them into five main categories:
- Batteries – a range of electrochemical storage solutions, including advanced chemistry batteries, flow batteries, and capacitors
- Thermal – capturing heat and cold to create energy on demand or offset energy needs
- Mechanical Storage – other innovative technologies to harness kinetic or gravitational energy to store electricity
- Hydrogen – excess electricity generation can be converted into hydrogen via electrolysis and stored
- Pumped Hydropower – creating large-scale reservoirs of energy with water
