When renewable energy sources such as solar and wind farms generate more electricity than consumers need, storing the excess doesn’t always make sense, say researchers from Stanford University. Large, grid-scale batteries capable of storing the extra electricity are resource-intensive and costly to manufacture and maintain — sometimes more so than the energy they’re used to store. “You wouldn’t spend a $100 on a safe to store a $10 watch,” said Michael Dale, who co-authored the study in the journal Energy & Environmental Science. “Likewise, it’s not sensible to build energetically expensive batteries for an energetically cheap resource like wind.” Economically, it makes more sense to shut down wind energy production when consumer demand is low than it does to maintain battery systems to store excess wind energy, the study said. But battery storage does make sense for photovoltaic systems, the researchers say, because solar panels and solar farms require more energy to build and maintain.
Grid-Scale Batteries Make Sense For Solar Energy, But Not Wind, Study Says
More From E360
-
Policy
U.S. Aid Cuts Are Hitting Global Conservation Projects Hard
-
INTERVIEW
How a Former Herder Protected Mongolia’s Vast Grasslands
-
Solutions
A.I. Is Quietly Powering a Revolution in Weather Prediction
-
RIVERS
On a Dammed River, Amazon Villagers Fight to Restore the Flow
-
Biodiversity
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
-
ANALYSIS
Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?
-
CONFLICT
In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
-
Opinion
With NOAA Cuts, a Proud Legacy and Vital Science Are at Risk
-
Biodiversity
Imperiled in the Wild, Many Plants May Survive Only in Gardens
-
Climate
Can Toxic Mining Waste Help Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere?
-
INTERVIEW
Saving U.S. Climate and Environmental Data Before It Goes Away
-
Biodiversity
A Craze for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa