Energy Storage Council :: About Energy Storage

About Energy Storage

Energy storage is one of the most critical components of the "new" electricity value chain. Storage can be used to:

:: make renewable energy economically viable
-- enables renewables, solar or wind, to store energy generated during off-peak hours for use during peak hours

:: serve as an "electricity reserve" much like the national Petroleum Reserve
-- critical as a safety net for future national emergencies

:: stabilize electricity markets
-- eliminates the disruption of major pricing moves due to weather, natural disasters or national emergencies
-- smoothes the wide swings between on-peak and off-peak prices

:: stablize the transmission and distribution grid
-- injected stored energy helps to stabilize the physical transfer and stability of electrons along the wire to
support the integrity of the transmission infrastructure

:: creates new energy market opportunities
-- enables new markets for ancillary services

:: enabling more efficient use of existing generation assets
-- reduces the need for cycling large coal-fired plants (peakers) and creates efficiencies along the grid
-- reduces dispatch costs incurred by generating assets

Bulk energy storage is truly one of the most promising new areas of the electricity industry. The Energy Storage Council believes that bulk energy storage will become the "sixth dimension" of the electricity value chain following fuels/energy sources, generation, transmission, delivery, and customer energy services.