The US Department of Energy has been celebrating Made in America Week in its own special way, with loads of good news about renewable energy and clean tech. The latest addition to the list is a “sodium battery” energy storage breakthrough from Brookhaven National Laboratory. It’s great news for the US wind and solar industries but it could send a chill through the spine of lithium-ion battery fans.

Wind And Solar Luv Energy Storage

The US wind and solar industries began to ratchet up during the Obama Administration, and at that time the main criticism was that the wind and the sun are intermittent and should not be counted as reliable sources of electricity in national energy policy.

Well, that was then. In the past few years the energy storage market has exploded, providing a way to bridge dark nights and doldrums.

That’s both a solution and a problem. The problem is that rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the main energy storage platform in use today for everything from cell phones to electric vehicles, on up to grid scale battery arrays.

The spiking demand is raising price and supply chain issues, and the Energy Department is among those looking for new, better and cheaper ways to sustain the energy storage revolution.

Here Comes The Sodium Battery

One new energy storage material with great promise is sodium — one of the two main ingredients in common table salt — and the Energy Department’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has teamed up with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to take the technology a “decisive” step closer to commercialization.

Energy planners like the idea of sodium because it is cheap, plentiful, and non-toxic. But, there are a number of good reasons why we don’t have sodium batteries today. Brookhaven explains one of them:

…a typical battery’s cathode is made up of metal and oxygen ions arranged in layers. When exposed to air, the metals in a sodium battery’s cathode can be oxidized, decreasing the performance of the battery or even rendering it completely inactive.

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While solar cells have been around in some form since the 1800s, increases in their efficiency were modest and slow until about 2000. Since 2000, the technology has seen rapid increases in efficiency, both at the research and consumer levels, and consistent deceases in cost of approximately 7 percent per year.

For all of these improvements, however, solar power has a significant inherent flaw – it generates energy at a very variable rate that is highly dependent on environmental conditions. Wind turbines, which have similarly improved in both efficiency and affordability in recent years, suffer from the same flaw.

New large-scale battery technologies promise to store energy both as it is being generated and in a distributed fashion throughout electrical grids. Early adoption of these new energy-storage technologies is beginning with some of the first large-scale projects beginning construction in California, Nevada, Texas, New York, and Hawaii. These technologies effectively smooth variability in energy output by storing energy until needed, thereby increasing grid efficiency, making grids and networks more resilient to spikes in power, increasing autonomy of energy generation, providing localized backup energy in the event of a network failure, and making trade in power between states and localities easier. In short, these technologies effectively reduce the flaws in solar and wind power, and provide a number of other benefits. 

Mirroring the advances in solar power since 2000, large-scale energy storage technologies are quickly improving in efficiency, affordability, and scale, thanks in part to growth of the battery supply chain to support increasing numbers of hybrid and electric vehicles. Market research firm Information Handling Services predicts energy storage growth will “explode” from .34 gigawatts (GW) in 2012-2013 to 6 GW by the end of 2017 and over 40 GW by 2022. Though the today’s energy storage projects use lithium-ion batteries, which researchers predict are nearing their theoretical efficiency limits, recent advances in lithium-sulfur and other novel battery types promise to expand our capabilities beyond these limitations. Some recently-developed energy storage systems also supplant batteries by running excess energy through electrolyzers to produce hydrogen, which is then put in a long-term storage tank from which the hydrogen is drawn as needed by fuel cells capable of generating energy to be released back into the grid.

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One of the best things about smart energy storage technology is the opportunity it creates for those in the HVAC, electrical contracting, and solar energy markets to provide added value to their customers and thus benefit from an additional revenue stream. The energy storage market is already becoming enormous with Navigant Research predicting it will reach $15.6 billion in revenue by 2024.

HVAC contractors can offer smart energy storage to their customers to help them save money on electricity costs and monitor their energy usage. Electrical contractors can use it to help their customers achieve the benefits of home automation. Solar contractors can implement it as part of a solar plus storage solution to help customer reduce their carbon footprint and electric bills at the same time.

In addition, communities in the U.S. are beginning to integrate renewables, energy storage, and the internet of things to create micro economies where they buy, sell, and trade energy amongst themselves. They can also send the energy they don’t use to their local utilities in exchange for renewable energy credits.

However, it’s best not to look at smart energy storage technology as though it’s a perfect solution. The reality is that along with the rewards it provides, it also brings enhanced risks, primarily surrounding cyber security. Though utilities are more adversely affected by cyber security breaches than consumers, energy customers still need to take their own safety into consideration as well when selecting smart energy storage products.

Addressing the cyber security concerns of IoT-enabled smart energy storage

The rapid decrease in cost of information, communications, and battery storage technologies is enabling more flexible and efficient generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of energy, notably through smart energy storage solutions. This all leads to a more widespread connection of distributed energy resources, which can increase the number of vulnerabilities in smart devices and electric systems, according to MIT.

Many of these vulnerabilities are known to us according to Stephen Soble, CEO of global cyber security firm Assured Services, but can’t be adequately protected due to myriad factors such as aging technology, unprotected device access credentials, and industry cultures that don’t emphasize cyber security.

Also, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) indicates that modernizing the grid to protect against developing threats could cost more than $1 trillion through 2040. In addition, the simple fact of the matter is that no electrical system can be completely invulnerable 100 percent of time.

The point is that cyber security is a significant challenge for contractors that are trying to bridge the gap between their existing services and offering IoT-enabled smart energy technology to their customers.

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Alectra’s announcement comes as an increasing number of utilities move into the distributed energy space, forming partnerships or acquiring DER providers to enhance offerings to consumers, particularly C&I customers. 

Southern Co., for instance, acquired DER and efficiency provider PowerSecure last year, and the company recently formed a partnership with Advanced Microgrid Solutions to deploy behind-the-meter storage for large customers.

Alectra, the third largest municipal utility in North America, has already begun to explore combining energy storage with rooftop solar panels through its Power.House pilot program. The program aggregates residential solar-plus-storage installations to create a virtual power plant.

The company, with AMP, is now looking at providing energy storage for the C&I market in Ontario.

AMP’s skill set includes asset development, project and structured finance, commodity trading, risk management, and engineering. The company, founded in 2009, developed projects in Canada, India, Japan, the U.S. and the U.K.

Earlier this month, AMP acquired a 14.7 MW solar plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The output from the solar plant is being sold to Tohoku Electric Power under a 20-year contract.

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Good news for Canadian electric car drivers or soon-to-be electric car drivers. A new network of DC fast-charging stations has been announced to cover the Trans-Canada Highway in a currently underserved region between Ontario and Manitoba.

Interestingly, the stations will be equipped with energy storage systems in order to make sure it can deliver fast-charging even where there are grid limitations.

Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, commented on the announcement:

“Canada recognizes the key role electric vehicles will play in reducing emissions from the transportation sector. With more electric vehicles becoming available, we want to make them an easy choice for Canadians. This strategic investment brings us closer to having a national coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle charging stations while growing our economy and creating good jobs for Canada’s middle-class.”

The project, which is expected to cost CAD $17.3 million (USD $13.6 million) and is partially funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), is a partnership between 3 energy storage companies: eCAMION, based in Toronto, Dallas-based Leclanché North America, part of Switzerland’s Leclanché SA and SGEM based in Geneva.

They describe the stations:

“At the core of each station will be FAST Charge’s state-of-the-art, energy storage system featuring advanced lithium-ion batteries with scalable capacity that will draw and store energy from the grid for use by charging units whenever required. Each station will have three charging units to allow three vehicles to be charged simultaneously.”

Unfortunately, they didn’t confirm the charge rate beyond confirming that it will be DC fast-charging – though they did say that it will support “level 3 or beyond”, whatever that means…

They plan to start manufacturing the systems during the first quarter of 2018 and start installing them as they are produced. They want the entire network to be online by the first quarter of 2019.

It should cover “a total distance of approximately 3,000 kilometers or 1,860 miles with the stations spaced approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) apart.”

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New reports from Navigant Research indicate global power capacity additions for deployed utility-scale energy storage systems and distributed energy storage systems will exceed 50 GW by 2026.

Specifically, utility-scale additions are expected to grow from 1,158.8 MW now to 30,472.5 MW in 2026, and DESS additions should grow from 683.9 MW to 19,669.7 MW.

Navigant said energy storage has grown significantly in early-adopter markets and new markets alike. Utilities are also turning to them to help with grid modernization, changing regulations and new business models.

“Worldwide, the energy storage industry continues to gain momentum, with an increasing number of new projects being announced and commissioned,” says Alex Eller, research analyst with Navigant Research. “While most activity remains highly concentrated in select markets, newly announced projects indicate that significant geographic diversification is taking place.”

Though five countries now account for 58 percent of new energy storage capacity, that number will drop to 51 percent by 2026.

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Organizations that have experienced intermittent power outages in Guam may see hope in sight. Guam Power Authority (GPA) will install two energy storage systems to help reduce intermittent power outages that Guam has been experiencing.

LG CNS, a subsidiary of LG that provides technology consulting and services, has signed a $43 million contract with the Guam Power Authority (GPA) that states LG will build two energy storage facilities on the island.

One storage facility will be 24 MW, 6 MWh storage center while the other will be a 16 MW, 16 MWh facility. The 25-year contract states LG will operate and maintain the facilities. The project is expected to be completed within one year from now.

The storage facilities are being built in the provinces of Agana and Talofofo and are designed to help reduce the power outages the GPA experiences as a result of increased solar power penetration. The island is attempting to reach its goal of 25% renewables by 2035.

Island communities have been pinpointed as top spots for energy storage facilities and LG sees Guam as a stepping stone into Hawaii and Southeast Australia.

Energy storage initiatives have gained popularity in recent years. In April, the Maryland General Assembly took an historic step – becoming the first in the nation to pass legislation (SB-758) that provides a tax credit for the installation of an energy storage system. And in May, U.S. Representatives launched the Advanced Energy Storage Caucus in Congress with the goal of educating U.S. lawmakers about the benefits of energy storage systems.

The first quarter of 2017 was the biggest quarter in history for the U.S. energy storage market, according to GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association (ESA). The latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor shows that 234 megawatt-hours of energy storage were deployed in the first quarter, which represents more than fiftyfold growth year-over-year.

When measured in megawatts, it was the third-largest quarter in history, only behind the fourth quarters of 2015 and 2016. Front-of-meter deployments grew 591 percent year-over-year, boosted by a few large projects in Arizona, California and Hawaii.

A week after Tesla announced it had won a tender for the installation of the world’s biggest battery storage system in Australia, Siemens and AES launched a joint venture that focuses exclusively on battery storage systems. The first comments from observers suggest that this joint venture, called Fluence, could turn into stiff competition for Tesla, and there are facts to support this suggestion.

Tesla has 300 MW worth of battery-powered storage systems across 18 countries. AES and Siemens boast a combined 463 MW of such projects across 13 countries. Tesla has a gigafactory and plans to build three more. AES has a decade of experience in energy storage systems, and Siemens has more than a century of experience in all things energy technology as well as an established presence in over 160 countries around the world.

It certainly looks like the energy storage sector just got a lot more exciting. Bloomberg’s Brian Eckhouse quotes AES’ chief executive, Andres Gluski, as saying that energy storage is “the holy grail for renewables.” Gluski is certainly right: the biggest hurdle for the wider adoption of renewable energy in the past has been the lack of reliable energy storage capacity that would solve the pesky intermittency challenge that is inherent in solar and wind power generation.

With battery-based storage, renewable energy will receive a major boost; there’s hardly any doubt about it. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, while there was 4 GW of battery-based storage capacity installed by the end of 2016, it is estimated to reach 45 GW by 2024.

There are three drivers to this increased adoption: reliability, sustainability, and affordability, as expressed by Siemens’ head of energy for the U.S. and Canada. This is what led Siemens and AES to join their forces, in fact, or, as Gluski put it to Green Tech Media, “We have to massify this product to continue to bring down costs. On long-duration systems, we think we’re the most competitive in the market, but we’ll be even more competitive if we’re even larger.”

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Wide-scale storage is currently the Holy Grail of researchers designing energy-storage solutions for clean energy, and scientists at Stanford University have come closer to achieving it with a new mathematical model for designing materials.

The work—conducted by researchers in the university’s School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences—also could help researchers build batteries that last longer in smaller form factors, said Daniel Tartakovsky, a professor in the school and one of the leaders of the work.

“If you could engineer a material with a far superior storage capacity than what we have today, then you could dramatically improve the performance of batteries,” he said.

Tartakovsky described the model—which works with nanoporous materials, the materials widely used to develop energy storage—and how it works to Design News . These materials look solid to the human eye but contain microscopic holes that give them unique properties.

“The model connects pore characteristics of a nanoporous material, e.g., its pore structure, and operating conditions to the material’s macroscopic properties of interest, e.g., electrolyte diffusion or electric capacitance,” he explained. “This connection is then used to optimize these macroscopic properties by using the pore characteristics as decision variables.”

Until now, working with nanoporous materials has been a matter of trial and error, but the model gives materials scientists more predictability in their work, Tartakovsky said.

“We developed a model that would allow materials chemists to know what to expect in terms of performance if the grains are arranged in a certain way, without going through these experiments,” he said. “The model provides a systematic alternative to the currently used ‘trial-and-error’ strategy for materials development, which could dramatically accelerate discovery of nanoporous metamaterials with superior energy-storage characteristics.”

Indeed, by using the model, researchers can “significantly speed up design of nanoporous metamaterials with superior energy-storage characteristics, such as electrolyte diffusion or electric capacitance,” Tartakovsky said.

Tartakovsky and fellow researchers published a study on their work in the journal Applied Physics Letters .

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