Simple Physics Solutions to Energy Storage

As renewable energy sources like wind and solar drop in price and become competitive with new fossil fuel plants—something which has already happened in Africa and China—grid operators will need better tools to balance supply and demand. More detailed and accurate weather forecasts will certainly help by predicting when and where sun and wind will be plentiful. But more than that, energy storage will play a key role keeping the grid flexible and adaptable, says Apurba Sakti, a research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative focusing on energy storage technologies. “It helps you store at times of excess generation that you can then use later on when the sun in not shining or wind is now blowing,” he says. And that could keep the lights on as renewables ramp up.