Energy Storage

Since electricity that is generated by traditional means (thermal or hydraulic powered turbines for example) cannot be stored cheaply in large quantities, it is increasingly more efficient and convenient for energy to be stored in another form (chemical, thermal, electromagnetic, mechanical) and then converted back into electric power and/or energy at a later time using conversion systems. These technologies are increasingly important as electrical energy is derived from sustainable but not always predictable sources such as solar or wind power. In this book, the use of Energy Storage is examined for different applications such as electric power generation, transmission and distribution systems, pulsed systems, transportation, buildings and mobile applications.

For each of these applications, appropriate energy storage technologies are examined, along with an assessment of their advantages, disadvantages and limitations. Most of the currently available, and some in-development storage technologies, are examined, including batteries, hydrogen energy, super capacitors, superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), flywheels, compressed air energy storage (CAES), thermal storage, and hydraulic gravitational storage.

Yves Brunet was Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG) until his retirement in 2008. He specializes in applications of superconductivity in electrical machines and devices.