Energy storage determines our fate

We know that we have surpassed the highest levels of carbon in the atmosphere in measured history. We know that this is causing extreme and severe weather that will cause extensive damage to our existence. So why have we not done anything about it?

We have done something about it. We have reduced our carbon footprint dramatically, but still not enough. We are getting better at managing our carbon output by generating more energy with sustainable, renewable technology, but we are coming up against a wall for a very simple reason: storage.

Source: NASA https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/

So despite our efforts: CO2 is accumulating rapidly without abatement. Renewable #energy generation methods (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, wave, etc) are being adopted worldwide and yet CO2 emissions accelerate. WHY? It is not only an issue with generation which simply is not sufficient by itself. Generation can only take us so far, storage is also required.

Solar generation works amazingly well in the summer months and the day time which is perfect for running an air conditioner during the heat of the day. But when do we require the most unmet #lighting and energy #consumption? Is it not at night and in the #winter? We can supplement with wind #generators, but the #wind does not always blow. So we have a gap between energy generation #time and #usage time that clearly requires both long and short term #storage in order to function well. Storage is our key hurdle to #attainment of a #carbon neutral footprint. This applies to our home, our vehicles, and our energy #grids.

We have to address the problems of energy storage.  At present: #batteries are expensive, #toxic, temporary, and rely on # materials in #limited #supply.  This is the gap that we must breech before we can go carbon neutral. The manufacture of the generation and the storage technology itself creates carbon, as does #distribution and #installation; however if the use via lifespan and #disposal can offset the carbon: then (and only then) can we turn the tide on CO2 levels. An easy gap to fill is #durability. Lithium-Ion (for one of the best examples) is expensive, toxic and not at all #durable; not to mention that it does not #scale well for larger storage #capacities to even provide vehicles great distance/range much less #power an entire home for days/weeks at a time. Lithium-Ion fires are among the most dangerous and the #chemicals are highly toxic. Despite this: lithium-ion is one of the cleanest and safest battery #technologies that we have! Lithium-Ion is our best effort to date.

There is hope for the future with super #capacitor technology combined with deep storage ala the chemical #photo-reactive battery that recharges with light, though none of these yet scale well enough to cost effectively power a single home much less supply the entire grid.

We have #sustainable energy generation figured out as #wind generators and #solar arrays can REDUCE our grid dependence, but not #eliminate it.  Once we figure out the storage problem: we may be able to close some or all of the gap (depending on the nature of the energy storage). There are countless storage #options being used and many in links below that may be part or all of the #solution:

Cynical view of grid issues in CA (illustrates the problem): https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611683/the-25-trillion-reason-we-cant-rely-on-batteries-to-clean-up-the-grid/

Batteries have short lifespans and are filled with toxic chemicals that are actually quite harmful: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5577247/

Battery creation and recycling is #harmful, so we need to be certain that the battery technology that is being used is "worth it" from an #environmental as well as #economic perspective. Current battery technologies are expensive, toxic, not durable, and clearly harmful to the #environment. https://sciencing.com/environmental-problems-batteries-cause-7584347.html

One of many #successful #experiments with light #reactive chemicals to make a durable, #reliable battery (on a very small scale): https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/chemical-battery-can-recharge-itself-with-light https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2015/acs-presspac-june-17-2015/novel-battery-uses-light-to-produce-power-video.html

Comparison of different #approaches to solving energy storage problems around the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_energy_storage

SuperCapacitors help us to bridge #spike demands as batteries are designed to trickle power in, and #trickle power out while a capacitor can rapidly charge and discharge without damage. No energy storage solution is complete without the ability to handle immediate and instant demand peaks. As we create larger and larger super caps: these will be instrumental in solving our storage #requirements as we can use these for demand peaks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercapacitor

Wind generation at AV Ranch, 10KW Bergey wind generator sitting idle waiting for a breeze before generating energy illustrating the need for storage to #bridge generation gaps: