Lately, one trend has captured the attention of energy industry insiders, who have gone so far as to christen our current era "the Decade of Energy Storage," which reflects everything from falling costs to larger installations.
The United States has enough renewable energy resources to generate more than 100 times the amount of electricity Americans use each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The only problem is figuring out efficient ways to store and deliver that energy.
Solar power, for instance, varies with cloud cover and at best is only available during daylight hours, while demand often peaks after sunset. When combined with a battery energy storage system, solar power becomes even more effective, as excess energy generated during the day can be stored and used later.
“Energy storage improves the way we generate, deliver, and consume electricity,”
says Laurel Schaich, a project technical leader at CDM Smith. Schaich specializes in bioenergy and has played a key role in waste-to-energy projects all over the country.
A 2023 report from BloombergNEF forecasted total energy storage deployments to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27 percent through 2030. At the federal level, the Department of Energy (DOE) has established its own Energy Storage Division, which helps drive the agency’s goal of expediting grid-scale energy storage. DOE has even built a Grid Storage Launchpad in the Pacific Northwest to advance battery research.
Michelle Stark, an experienced electrical engineer who specializes in large-scale electrification projects, says “Alternative energy sources will play a crucial role in the development and growth of EV [electric vehicle] infrastructure. That includes renewables like solar, as well as corresponding battery energy storage systems.”
In Germany, most of the wind energy is generated from the north of the country. The vast majority of industrial consumers, however, operate in the south. With the newly constructed “
grid-booster,” currently the world’s largest battery system, Germany will be able to reduce congestion on transmission lines and optimize grid utilization.
“So instead of constructing new high-voltage power lines across the whole country," says Lukas Wallrabe, “this project maximizes the use of already existing infrastructure, allowing the grid to operate at higher efficiency without the need for major expansions.”
Learn more about
energy storage at CDM Smith, where our battery energy storage systems are integral to utility substations, transmission systems and renewable energy projects like solar and wind. We can help provide technical and regulatory guidance to bring energy storage solutions online, respond to fluctuations in electricity demand, and maintain grid stability during transmission line outages.
