No matter how many wind turbines a city might possess, the amount of energy that is stored in the battery packs is what actually matters. With the cost of storage mediums still touching the sky, the amount of energy generated by renewable energy systems is not stored completely, and much of it is wasted due to this lack. A European plan is being tested in Denmark, which if successful will increase the storage capacity without increasing the battery bank of the grid.
Efficient storage of renewable energy:
The solution isn’t ingenious but quite creative – with the number of electric cars on the roads increasing with every second, their batteries are being put to use to store renewable energy that comes from the island’s wind turbine systems. These turbine systems are capable of generating 40% of the island’s demand but generate just 20% till date due to the lack of storage mediums.
When a car is parked, its batteries are used to store a definite amount of renewable energy, which cannot be used for traveling purposes. Acting as a buffer, these batteries are connected to the grid once the wind slows down and the wind turbines are not generating any electricity. The V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) program, as the project has been christened, will allow more turbines to be built and provide up to 50% of the island’s supply without making the grid crash. Once more electric cars are added to the system, the amount of energy can also be increased accordingly.
Image Courtesy: MSN
