The long-term energy storage challenge
In a renewably powered future, how will the grid cope when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing? Rachel Brazil looks at the options
Getting to net zero isn’t just about shifting to low-carbon renewable energy sources, it will also need massive increases in our energy storage capacity. According to the UK’s National Grid, the country will need more than 50GW of energy storage by 2050 to ensure a balance in supply and demand. The whole of Europe will likely need more than 400GW, but current storage is now below 10% of that capacity. In 2021 there was estimated to be only 27GW of energy storage available globally.
But the problem is more than just increasing capacity – we currently don’t have the established technologies necessary for the task. We are at a point where there are many concepts for storage, including systems that use gravity, heat and electrochemistry, all providing alternative methods, but most still unproven at scale. So can we find the right technology for the task and can we do it quickly enough?