Making fuel at "home"

 

Hydrogen fuel station with its own electrolyser, Canberra, Australia

Wether it be solar panels, batteries, wind turbines, pumped hydro, geothermal power, biofuels or green hydrogen, this renewable energy can be in your own country and some in your own community or home. What this does is reduce the extraction and transport of oil and gas from a few energy rich countries and makes your home/community/country more energy secure and independent.

Renewable electricity supply can now be made at home, can come from microgrids in remote locations, can be portable to natural disaster locations, can be large scale and can be stored thus making a country, community or home independent of imported fuel. An electric vehicle can be powered from a standard power point and a variety of local or remote chargers.

Green hydrogen can be produced from electrolysers which use water (and soon seawater) and renewable electricity. This can be large scale or small scale. Hydrogen can be used in a number of industries from transport fuel, heating and cooking fuel to large industries such as aluminium and steel making. By making its own hydrogen, a country can reduce the importation of fossil fuels.

In the example above, the public hydrogen fuel station makes its own hydrogen on site with a small electrolyser, water and renewable electricity. Canberra sources all its electricity from renewable energy and here it makes its own hydrogen. This reduces the sometimes dangerous transport of petrol, diesel or gas to Canberra. 

Further Reading:  

• Microgrids could help communities weather the next disaster.
• Stand-alone solar and battery systems now seen as the "new normal" in regions.
• Solar, battery and hydrogen microgrid to power Daintree Rainforest
• Sweden could take global lead in green steel production - report
• Australia's Fortescue sets sights on becoming world's first supplier of green iron ore
• Frequently Asked Questions - American Hydrogen Association
• Renewable hydrogen could reduce emissions in alumina refining.
• Northern Territory to trial off-grid system making hydrogen from 'water from air'
• Novel catalyst produces green hydrogen from seawater via solar

Making EV charging stations safer for users

 

Photo by Julie May

I drive an electric vehicle (EV) in Australia and am concerned that many charging stations here are in out of the way places that are sometimes difficult to find because they are not easily seen from the road. In addition, many are in locations that are not well-lit and are therefore unsafe; sometimes the chargers are not working; and most do not provide shelter from sun or rain.

Apparently this is also common in other parts of the world as Kate Tyrrell found out while on an EV road trip for work in the UK. She always had around 30 miles of spare battery charge for a trip to the next EV charger. But on one occasion, at night, she went from unsafe charging locations to chargers that were not working and finally crawled to a suitable charger with the battery charge reading zero miles!

Kate works in the energy industry so when she attended the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) she aired her concerns with colleagues and came up with the plan to start ChargeSafe. 

ChargeSafe will physically inspect and rate UKs charging stations for their location, environment, facilities and accessibility. EV charging site users will also be able to share their own views and rate on how safe the charging stations are. These two ratings will enable ChargeSafe to give an overall definitive rating. The plan is to roll this system out to other countries. For more information please read: ChargeSafe: how one horror story led to safer EV charging. (CleanTechnica).

In addition, many charging stations are out in the open and exposed to the elements. Why not follow Electrify America's initiative to create charging stations with their own solar panel roofs that can provide green energy, lighting, shelter and amenities. For more information please read: Electrify America to build "human-centered" charging plazas. (CleanTechnica).

Northern Territory to trial off-grid system making hydrogen from 'water from air'

Aqua Aerem water capture (Source: Aqua Aerem)

In many arid areas, such as in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, there can be lots of sunshine but a scarcity of water. So at Tennant Creek, NT, there is to be a trial to test the making of hydrogen from water coming from the atmosphere. 

The patented Aqua Aerem system will extract water (H2O) from the atmosphere. Then 'green hydrogen' is made by using solar-powered electrolysis to split this water into hydrogen and oxygen. 

Green hydrogen can be made onsite anywhere in the world using small or larger-scale electrolysers but needs a good supply of water. Green hydrogen made with solar energy can be stored and used when needed including at night and on cloudy days.

After the 12-week trial, it is intended that the hydrogen be used to power the Tennant Creek Power Station which is currently powered by gas with diesel back up (both of which have to be trucked in for 200 kilometres). All going well, this town, in a low rainfall area, will have its own source of power. This off-grid system of local power could be very useful in many isolated desert communities and industries, such as mining, and could also provide power for hydrogen vehicles.

Further reading: 

- Northern Territory to trial hydrogen made with 'water from air'. RenewEconomy, February 24, 2021. 

- Aqua Aerem: water from air technology

U.S., UK and EU to end public finance for fossil fuels

Coal-fired power plant (Source: change.org)

In late January, President Biden put out an executive order which directs federal agencies to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, including coal, and to spur "innovation, commercialisation, and deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure" (CleanTechnica). Biden has signalled that part of his administration's focus will be cutting off international public finance for new fossil fuel projects (Coal Wire).

This announcement from the United States (U.S.) comes on the heels of similar commitments from the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). For example, it is estimated that the U.S. directs fossil fuel subsidies of around $20 billion per year of which 20% goes to coal and 80% to natural gas and crude oil. The EU fossil fuel subsidies are estimated to be around 55 billion euros annually (CleanTechnica).

If the US, UK and EU join forces to end the tens of billions of dollars per year in public finance for fossil fuels internationally they can work together to make this a reality by the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow this November (Oil Change International). This is huge!

References: 

- CleanTechnica: Biden orders end to fossil fuel subsidies, promotes equity for underserved communities, January 28, 2021 

- Coal Wire Editorial, 354, January 29, 2021 

- Oil Change International: http://priceofoil.org/2021/01/27/biden-order-international-finance/

- Biden's climate agenda: is this the beginning of the end for fossil fuels? BBC News, January 31, 2021.

Plants accumulating valuable metals, like nickel, can be farmed

This shrub oozes a green sap rich in nickel (Source: New Scientist)

Mining for metals is very destructive and expensive. For example, New Caledonia in the Pacific has rich deposits of nickel and its land has been ravaged by strip mining of the metal. However, some plants accumulate high concentrations of metals, such as nickel, possibly as a defence against pests. These plants are called hyperaccumulators and can be used to produce metals, perhaps reducing the need for mining. 

Nickel is an important metal for the making of steel and is used in many lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, phones and other consumer items. Demand for nickel and other metallic elements is expected to surge as they are needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines, magnets, lasers and other crucial technologies.

Hyperaccumlators have been found in areas where volcanic eruptions have brought the softened Earth's mantle, rich in metals, to the surface as ultramafic rock. The resulting soils have produced plants that accumulate metals such as cobalt, arsenic, manganese, zinc, nickel and other rare earth elements. 

As a result of finding these plants, farming has commenced and it is called agromining. Metal farms are now springing up in China, Europe and Malaysia. The ultramafic soils are poor for other crops, so are now given a more profitable use. In Europe, the nickel hyperaccumulator plant is related to kale. It is harvested, baled and burnt to release a nickel rich ash. The heat from burning is used to heat surrounding homes. The return per hectare is much greater than that for wheat.

Hyperaccumulator plants can also be used to rehabilitate old mining sites, such as in New Caledonia, as it is difficult to grow other plants there. Also field trials have been set up to test agromining production on old mining sites in China.

For more information see: How to grow metal. New Scientist, January 9, 2021, No3316, pp42-5.

How can we avoid buying products with palm oil ingredients?

 

Palm Oil Free face cream (Photo Julie May)

The repeated removal of tropical jungle to plant oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) for palm oil has reduced the habitat of many threatened species, in particular the Orangutan in South East Asia. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some) the large palm fruit is rich in oil which makes it a cheap oil to harvest.

Over the last few years I have been trying to buy products that do not contain palm oil but it is very hard to know which ingredients come from palm oil. I look for products that say they are 'palm oil free' but there are not many of those and it is often said that palm oil is in almost everything! See WWF webpage below for a general list of products containing palm oil.

Well thanks to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there is a list of ingredients that come from palm oil. Some are common ingredients that can come from other plants such as vegetable oil, vegetable fat, sodium lauryl sulphate and others, so further research is needed or the producing company contacted. Other ingredients are obviously from palm oil. The WWF also suggests looking for the sustainably produced palm oil symbol on products (see webpage).

Here is the WWF's list of ingredients coming from palm oil:

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol. CONTAINS: Palm oil (World Wildlife Fund).

For years I have been unknowingly using face creams that contain one or two palm oil ingredients, so I decided to try to find one without. From Coles in Australia, I found the Australian made Sukin pictured above. It has a long list of ingredients but does not contain any of the above. There are other plant oils included such as from: sesame, cacao, rosehip, macadamia, jojoba, argan, candelilla, baobab, acai, hibiscus, goji, tangerine, mandarin, lavender and carrot oils. Vegetable protein is listed but possibly not from palm oil as oils/fats do not contain protein.

For more information see the WWF webpage at: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

Japan releases plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050

 

Source: RenewEconomy

Recently Japan released its plan for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government is to give tax incentives and other support for investment in green technologies and predicts that this will boost its economy. The plan is to include at least these developments:

 - To have all new cars to be electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell driven by 2035 with a ban on the sale of fossil fuel driven cars. 

- To research into reducing the cost of batteries.

- To increase offshore wind power to 45 gigawatts by 2040.

- To bring renewable power to 60% by 2050.

- To be less reliant on nuclear power and have it more stable.

- To have thermal power plants with carbon capture technology related to carbon cycling and not storage underground. That is by using captured CO2 to produce synthetic fibres or to fortify concrete.

- To have nuclear and thermal power at a reduced 30-40% of the nation's electricity demand.

- To have all new buildings and houses built with zero emissions technology by 2030.

- To use green hydrogen and ammonia as fuels for gas turbine power generators and for fuel cells to power heavy vehicles and all sea-going vessels by 2050. (Japan has already launched its first hydrogen-carrying ship which is importing hydrogen from Australia.)

References: 

- Japan sees electric cars, offshore wind as keys to net zero economy. CleanTechnica, December 26, 2020. 

- Japan's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050. The Globe and Mail, December ~28, 2020. 

- Japan unveils green growth plan for 2050 carbon neutral goal. YahooNews!, December 25, 2020.  

- Mitsubishi Group project on CO2 injection into concrete approved for grant by NEDO. GlobalCement, August 5, 2020. 

- Japan adopts green growth plan to go carbon free by 2050. SeattlePI, December 25, 2020.

South Australia aims for 500% renewables by 2050 and for all new cars to be electric by 2035

 

(Source bbc.com)

The South Australian (SA) government aims for more than 500 per cent renewable energy by 2050 as it aims to become a clean energy exporter both nationally and internationally. Almost under the same breath, the government also announced that it aims to ensure that all new car sales will be electric by 2035 as it wants to be a leader in the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia.

SA already has its electricity grid at 60% renewables and plans to expand that to at least 500 per cent. The government has a Climate Change Action Plan which includes at least 68 proposed activities for more renewables, clean transport and more resilient urban and rural communities. The state has an abundance of solar, wind and other resources. The green hydrogen industry is well on its way in Australia and SA plans to become a major exporter of green hydrogen and other low emission products.

The state Liberal government has also released its plan for electric vehicles (EVs). Firstly it will electrify all government fleets, taxis and ride sharing vehicles by 2030. By 2030, they want electric cars to be mainstream and for all new cars sold to be electric by 2035. There will also be fuel efficiency and quality standards introduced which will help EV uptake but there is also a plan to put a road user tax on EVs which will be a disincentive but will help fund the changes.

Read More: 

- South Australia aims for more than 500 pct renewables in new climate plan. RenewEconomy, December 16, 2020. 

- "Biggest change since Model T": South Australia wants all new car sales to be electric by 2035. The Driven, December 20, 2020.

A remote West Australian town to test a renewable hydrogen microgrid

Source: One Step off the Grid

A remote coastal town in Western Australia (WA) called Denham is now powered by four old wind turbines and a diesel generator. The community pays a high price for having the diesel trucked in and the turbines are at least 20 years old.

To generate most of their own power, the plan is to have a 704kW solar system, a 348kW hydrogen electrolyser, a compressor for hydrogen storage and a 100kW fuel cell to make electricity from the stored hydrogen when needed. There will be enough power for 100 homes but the new items will be connected to the existing system which will act as a backup. The hydrogen electrolyser, powered by solar energy, will split water to make green hydrogen. A Hydro Harvester could be used if water is scarce. 

The project is getting funding assistance from ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) which will use it as a test case for use in other remote Australian communities. "The potential for these communities to generate, store and use their own renewable energy could simultaneously reduce costs and reduce emissions without sacrificing the reliability of energy supply." said ARENA CEO Darren Miller.

Read more: Australia's first remote, renewable hydrogen microgrid wins ARENA backing. One Step off the Grid, November 27, 2020. 

House with solar, batteries and 'halo' watering system was saved from ravaging Australian bushfires.

 

The aftermath (Source: One Step off the Grid)

Last summer a house with a big solar system, batteries and smart watering system saved a house and its occupants from the horrific bushfires in the Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia. Not only did the system save the house but it provided off-grid power for some days after the network power went down due to fire damage.

The house has a 28kW ground-mounted solar system and a 50kWh energy storage system. The carefully designed 'halo' watering system around the house and solar panels saturated the whole area and was able to keep operating during the blaze. 

For details of the systems and more images, please see: How solar and batteries helped save a home, and its people, from a fire storm. One Step off the Grid, November 12, 2020.

Woolworths joins Renewable Energy 100 (RE100) and AGL joined EV100

Source: 'Solar Quotes' for Woolworths

 A growing number of companies worldwide are committing to 100 percent renewable energy by joining the RE100 membership list. Similarly, companies are joining the EV100 membership list when they commit to zero emissions transport by a certain date.

The Australian supermarket chain, Woolworths, has just joined RE100 by committing to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. They will do this by adding solar panels to their buildings and by buying Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) possibly from solar farms, wind farms or stored renewable electricity. In doing this, they will reduce their greenhouse emissions and save on electricity costs. 

To date, there are 268 members of RE100 worldwide with 14 members from Australia. The Australian membership includes: Westpac, Suncorp, QBE, NAB, Mirvac, Macquarie, Interactive, Dexus, Commonwealth Bank, BINGO Industries, Bank Australia, Atlassian, ANZ, and Woolworths. 70 international companies operating within Australia are also members such as Apple, Facebook and Google.

The number of international companies that pledge to having fleets of zero emission vehicles is at 92 to date. Of those we have one that is Australian and that is AGL Energy which is to transition its fleet of over 400 vehicles to EVs by 2030.

References: 

- RE100 members: https://www.there100.org/re100-members  

- EV100 members: https://www.theclimategroup.org/ev100-members

Green hydrogen (& green methane) made from the sun's energy and water from air.

Professor Moghtaderi & Dr Maddocks with canisters of green hydrogen, PV array and their Hydro Harvester innovation (University of Newcastle)

Engineers at the University of Newcastle, Australia, have used their innovative Hydro Harvester in combination with solar panels and a hydrogen electrolyser to make green hydrogen from the air. See this video. To transport the hydrogen, they take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, add it to the hydrogen (H2) to make green methane (CH4). 

The green hydrogen can be used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with water as the only waste product. The green methane can be transported in natural gas pipelines and used domestically as a substitute for natural gas. The waste product from burning methane is CO2 which returns the CO2 back to the air completing a sustainable carbon cycle.

By using the university's Hydro Harvester which makes pure water from the air at night, they are not placing pressure on potable water used for domestic and industrial use. The atmospheric produced water (H2O) is split in the electrolyser using an electrical current from solar panels to make hydrogen (H2) with oxygen (O2) as the waste product.

The plan is to work with an international car manufacturer to demonstrate the green hydrogen at one of their Sydney based locations. In addition, the green methane technology will be demonstrated at a gas hub near Roma, Queensland, where it can be transported via existing gas pipelines to east coast locations.

Read more: 

- Hydro Harvester is making a splash to solve global water shortage. University of Newcastle, December 11, 2019. 

- New green hydrogen made from solar power and air. University of Newcastle, September 4, 2020. 

- Green hydrogen breakthrough uses energy from the sun, water from the air. RenewEconomy, September 8, 2020.

VoloCity, the world's first operating electric air taxi

VoloCity electric air taxi (Source: CleanTechnica)

Volocopter has produced an electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically (an eVTOL). Volocopter has called this one the VoloCity Air Taxi, which is the first-to-fly certified air taxi. Volocopter is based in Germany but has trialled VoloCity in Stuttgart, Helsinki and Singapore.

It is expected that VoloCity will be operational in two to three years. Bookings are available now anywhere in the world for the first public flights of 15 minutes duration.

Read more: 

- Volocopter opens world's 1st electric air taxi flight reservations. CleanTechnica, September 16, 2020. 

- Volocopter: https://www.volocopter.com/en/

A new way to have windows as see-through solar panels

 

See-through solar glass (Source: UbiQD)

UbiQD, a materials manufacturer in the US, developed a layer of nanoparticles glued between two layers of glass that can collect solar energy. The combination is transparent with a slight tint that can be brown, blue or greyish. It is difficult to distinguish these windows from traditional ones as seen in the image above. The innovation will help to collect solar energy in cities where rooftops are limited.

Two glass panels are glued together with a thin polymer which contains the nanoparticles known as quantum dots. These quantum dots are tiny semiconductors that manipulate light. They are non-toxic and relatively cheap to produce.

When exposed to UV light, the quantum dots are excited and release photons that travel to the edges of the window panel. The perimeter is fitted with solar cells which convert the photons into electrical current. These solar cells are within the window frame and therefore out of sight.

The efficiency of the most transparent windows is 3.6 percent. This may seem low but there are many windows on a skyscraper! However, windows can be custom-made to produce more power but transparency is reduced in a linear relationship. Windows of one square metre are soon to be tested in buildings in the US and the Netherlands.

References: 

- Nanoparticles turn windows into see-through solar panels. New Scientist, September 12, 2020, page 15. 

- Windows become transparent solar panels with added nanoparticles. UbiQD, September 7, 2020. 

- Journal reference: ACS Applied energy materials: DOI:10.1021/acsaem.Oc01288.

Nissan dealers in the UK to provide EVs with green-flash number plates

 

Source: CleanTechnica

“Nissan dealers [in the UK] are preparing for the arrival of a new kind of numberplate this autumn.

The plates are being brought in especially for electric vehicles and have an eye-catching green flash on the left-hand side to highlight the fact that EVs are emission-free.

As 70-plate models are introduced at Nissan dealers, trial green number plates have been fitted to show electric vehicle customers how they could look when they hit the road later this year.

The initiative was announced by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, in June as part of a wider plan to drive a ‘green economic recovery’ after the turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic.” 

Read more: New Nissan plates to identify emission-free cars in UK. CleanTechnica, August 28, 2020.

Melbourne start-up is to lease electric vehicles to fleets

Hyundai Ionic Electric (Source: The Driven)

 

EV Lease is taking the plunge into electric vehicles (EVs) as it has been shown that running an electric vehicle fleet now costs less than a petrol and diesel fleet. What held up the adoption of EVs by leasers was the lack of resale data as companies need to be able to guarantee the value of cars after their lease life. But the director of EV Lease, Shane Priest, is taking a punt on the fact he knows EVs have less wear and tear, and will likely have a greater resale value at the end of their lease life than petrol cars. 

EV Lease, which is headquartered in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham, Victoria, was founded by Priest to make electric vehicles more accessible to fleets, and perhaps eventually, private drivers. The company currently has 3 electric vehicles and one plug-in hybrid available: the Hyundai Ioniq Electric Elite, the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, the Hyundai Kona Electric and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. 

Read more: 

- Car lease startup places bet on electric vehicles for fleets. The Driven, August 13, 2020. 

- EV Lease: affordable, worry-free electric car driving 

London bus depot to provide vehicle-to-grid power during peaks

 

E-buses (Source: The Driven)

A North London bus depot is on the verge of becoming one of the world’s largest vehicle-to-grid (V2G) virtual power stations. The Northumberland Park bus garage will be transformed to be part of UK’s Bus2Grid project. 

The project will enable electric buses parked at the garage to plug in and feed stored electricity back into the grid to provide grid balancing during times of peak demand. It was announced by British energy firm SSE Enterprise and is being conducted in collaboration with bus operator Go-Ahead London. 

A trial will test 28 electric double-decker buses, which are capable of returning over 1MW of electricity back into the grid. The project could then be expanded by the end of 2021 to include the capability of connecting up to 700 electric vehicles to the grid, supplying as much as 25MW of electricity. 

Read more: 

- London bus garage becomes one of world’s largest vehicle-to-grid sites. The Driven, August 14, 2020. 

– London bus garage becomes world’s largest vehicle-to-grid-site. SSE Enterprise. Accessed August 18. 2020.

AGL Energy is to tender for 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024

 

AGL's Nyngan Solar Farm (source: RenewEconomy)

AGL Energy of Australia plans to diversify its energy portfolio into clean energy options after receiving lower profits from its coal generators. It already has some large solar and wind farms and plans to add 1.2GW of battery storage to some of these renewable energy farms by 2024. 

AGL’s chief operation officer, Markus Brokhof, said “Although energy prices are lower, we still see an opportunity to invest as the composition of the portfolio shifts away from coal towards the new firmed renewable energy generation the market will need.” “AGL is to optimise dispatchable generation, support investment in firmed renewables and continue to invest in the accelerating emergence of batteries and other energy storage technologies.” 

Read more: 

- AGL targets 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024, plans tender. RenewEconomy, August 13, 2020. 

- NSW to fund four new big battery projects as it readies to flick switch from coal. RenewEconomy, August 15, 2020. 

- AGL says batteries starting to compete with gas generators for peaking services. RenewEconomy, August 17, 2020.

 

Victorian town in bushfire zone adds solar and battery for community sports centre

Hepburn Sports Centre with Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (One Step off the Grid)

The community sports centre of Hepburn, Victoria, has a solar and battery storage system which will reduce its electricity costs and emissions as well as supporting its role as a last resort community shelter in the case of a bushfire. Electricity power is one of the first supplies to be cut during severe bushfires. 

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve now has a 25kW solar system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery. This system continues to operate when there is a grid outage. This large solar and battery combination will supply power day and night particularly in summer. Alone, the battery will provide power for a day and will be topped up quickly when it is sunny (a little slower if it is smokey or cloudy).

“The $31,818 cost of the solar and storage system was contributed to by the Hepburn Shire Council ($12,000), local community renewables outfit Hepburn Wind ($4,500), and the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance ($15,318) with $12,500 of that amount from a Bank Australia grant and $2,818 from the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy.” 

Read more: Solar and Tesla Powerwall offer Victorian town bushfire resilience. One Step off the Grid, July 24, 2020.

UK relaxes rules to allow more storage on the grid that makes way for “liquid air” storage

Highview Power cryogenic energy storage system

As the UK moves to net zero emissions by 2050 it is going to need much more battery storage to stabilise the grid as the number of solar and wind energy plants increase. So much so, the government is to relax the planning laws to make it easier to develop larger battery storage systems. The legislation will be introduced to remove barriers for storage projects above 50MW (megawatts) in England and 350MW in Wales. 

This will allow the UK company Highview Power (and others) to plan to build much larger electricity storage systems. Highview Power makes cryogenic storage plants that use [renewable] electricity to cool air to a liquid and store it in insulated tanks. The liquid air is then warmed by stored heat from the process to expand the gas 700 times to drive turbines which can add electricity back to the grid when required. 

The advantage of this system over chemical batteries is that it can be stored for days and can supply power for an extended period of time whereas chemical batteries can only supply power for a short period of time. Also, most of the materials and infrastructure needed are easy to obtain so the manufacture of this cryogenic battery is simple and possibly more sustainable (i.e. does not need rare metals). 

Video of Highview Power Cryogenic Energy Storage System 

Read more: 

- UK hopes to ramp up battery storage and boost renewables by loosening planning rules. CNBC, July 15 2020.  

– Highview Power to build Europe’s largest battery storage system. The Chemical Engineer, November 29, 2019. 

– Highview Power to build UK’s first “liquid air” energy storage facility. RenewEconomy, October 24, 2019. 

– Highview Power: https://highviewpower.com/.