Energy storage said key to RES laws

摘要

It will be difficult to meet state renewable-electricity stan-ndards — not to mention a possible national RES — without fur-nther research into grid-scale energy storage, according to a new nstudy from the American Physical Society.nThe study calls for increased Energy Department research ninto new materials that can contribute to energy storage, in naddition to superconducting cables for long-distance direct ncurrent electricity transmission.n“We need to move faster to have storage ready to accom-nmodate, for example, 20 percent of renewable electricity on nthe grid by 2020,” said George Crabtree, co-chairman of the nstudy panel and a senior scientist at DOE’s Argonne National nLaboratory. “And, by devoting the necessary resources to the nproblem, I am confident that we can solve it.”nJim Misewich, the associate director for basic energy sciences nat DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, co-chaired the panel.nDozens of states now have RES laws on the books which nrequire utilities to supply electricity from a minimum amount nof renewable energy, such as wind and solar. A pending Senate nbill (S. 3813) would require utilities to derive 15% of their npower from renewable sources by 2021. The House passed a nlarger climate-change bill (H.R. 2454) last year which contained na requirement of 20% by 2020.nThe US holds immense potential for wind and solar power, nbut one of several key issues holding back development is the nintermittency of the electricity produced. If the wind is not nblowing and the sun is not shining, there is no electricity.n DOE currently funds some research into large-scale energy nstorage — including large batteries, pumped-hydro storage and nflywheel technology — but the authors of the report recom-nmended a more comprehensive approach.nAmong the recommendations was guidance from DOE to nregulators on energy storage, a reassessment of various battery ntypes and their potential for use in grid-scale storage, and more nresearch into the basic science that underpins battery technology.