Better Batteries can Smooth out the Grid

Dear Editor,

The tired argument against renewable energy focuses on the concept of intermittency - what to do when 'the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing'? This statement or some variation of it primarily comes from fossil fuel boosters, trying to pump the brakes on cleaner power generation and a cleaner economy. The problem with this argument is simple - batteries exist.

Intermittency can be countered by 'time shifting' - essentially, storing energy in batteries from our sunny and windy days, and later deploying this energy in the evening as the sun goes down and wind stills. The problem is, most people still think of batteries in terms of the AA that used to power your Gameboy, or the larger batteries in electric cars - applications that try to store power in a small, light package to make it portable.

Grid-scale batteries are a different animal. Larger, heavier, denser, and often using different materials than the standard lithium-ion (see: zinc or vanadium), these batteries can store and discharge much more electricity. It is estimated China is on track to install 800+ GWh by the end of 2027, and worldwide battery storage is expected to quintuple in that same time frame.

So please, enough with the clichés about renewables; we know exactly what to do when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. What we don't know how to deal with are the emissions from our status quo fossil fuel power generation - and the planet is running out of time.

Sincerely,

Nathan Dombeck

Janesville, WI