Is This The Solution To The Green Energy Storage Problem? – EQ Mag Pro
Hydro pump storage systems, used for more than 100 years, are now considered the best alternative to store clean energy. But are they green?
A significant obstacle is blocking the road to a global green energy shift, energy storage. The world has changed significantly in the past 10 years—clean energy used to be a word for environmental activists. Large energy companies that used to stay far away from clean energy projects have today embraced the shift to create better energy and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Solar, wind and nuclear energy are the three top runners in this new global attempt to cut off dependency on non-renewables. Solar technology is not only used at industrial scales but also by companies who aim for a net-zero policy. They are also being deployed in people’s homes. Wind farms and ocean energy projects have also been growing exponentially, with investment pouring in internationally.
Producing the amount of energy the world needs to meet the demands with green energy sources used to be the most significant problem, but technology has now scaled and is up for the task. The problem now is where to store it. First, energy itself must be converted before storage. The dominant sector for energy storage in the U.S. and globally are hydroelectric, pumped hydro, compressed air, flywheel rotors, and batteries. But the storage capacity needed is far beyond that in place. A system used for more than 100 years is being considered the best option to respond to this new demand for hydro pumps.
How Green Is Hydro Pump Energy Storage?
The concept for hydro pump energy storage is simple. When energy demand is low, water is pumped upstream or at terrains of higher altitudes. When energy demand is high, the water is released, passing through a hydroelectric generator to produce energy for the grid. Hydroelectric dams and hydro pump projects may sound like a perfect solution to store large amounts of energy. After all, hydroelectric dams have been lighting up cities for years. However, to build hydroelectric projects, the environment and its resources, water, and life of the ecosystem must be altered, and carbon emissions increase.
Mega dams in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and many other countries have led to environmental scandals not only seizing and flooding local native land but affecting water and land ecosystems beyond recognition or repair. Hydro pump storage that creates artificial bodies of water is less invasive but still alters a region. On the other hand, hydro pump storage systems connected to hydroelectric dams can not be constructed without dramatically altering the natural resources. Other new technologies like green gravity energy storage systems seem to be on to something using original approaches never used before. It is unlikely that new problems will be solved with old solutions, and hydro electrics are just that, an old solution to the same problem.
Source: screenrant
