YouTube - Power storage with Flywheels
As the video here explains, one practical, and easy to understand, way to store excess electrical energy is the simple flywheel. High tech mag-lev technology makes it easier to cut friction and drag which kill efficiency, and new superstrong materials like carbon fiber increase the strength and durability, but basically, what you have is a spinning wheel. (think about the playground merry go round that keeps spinning long after you’ve stopped pushing and jumped on..)
But flywheels are just one piece of a huge mosaic of energy storage devices…
One of the most reliable and time tested methods of energy storage is pumped storage, like
this facility on Lake Michigan at Ludington, Michigan. In this technique, water is pumped up a hillside to an artificial lake during times of low electrical demand, usually at night. At times of high demand, the water is allowed to fall, and working like a hydro electrical dam, the pumped storage plant captures and generates electrical power from the falling water – freeing stored energy as electricity.
Now this plant’s owners are planning an
upgrade of this station, to provide even more storage for a contemplated future in which renewable energy, primarily wind, will play a much larger role in the midwestern electrical grid.
According to
WWJ TV:
The plant currently produces enough to power a community of 1.4 million people. The upgrade will enable the facility to meet the electric demand of a community of 1.65 million, while the increased water pumping efficiency will further decrease the plant’s operating costs.
The maintenance and efficiency upgrade will increase the generating capacity of the plant from its current level of 1,872 megawatts to approximately 2,172 MW. The Ludington plant plays an increasingly important role as a storage facility for renewable energy produced during off-peak periods, making renewable energy more affordable and reliable.
As more wind generation is added in the Midwest region, the Ludington plant can be used at night and during other periods when demand for electricity is low to “store” the clean energy until it’s needed by electric customers. The Ludington plant addresses a key challenge of wind energy which is produced intermittently and cannot be stored, with the exception of special facilities like Ludington.
