With intermittency emerging as a major roadblock in the widespread development of renewable energy technologies, attention has turned naturally to grid scale batteries as a solution. Some fine examples have already been installed at major facilities around Australia. Our storEnergy Industry Transformation Training Centre has a number of projects and partners dedicated to developments towards this application of both lithium and sodium based batteries.
 
Nonetheless, the global realisation in the last several years of the significance of energy storage technologies, generally, has seriously focussed the attention of scientists and engineers alike. Emerging currently is a more nuanced understanding of the diversity of energy storage contexts and the various technologies that can best suit their needs.
 
For example, thermal energy storage is being developed as a grid level solution to intermittency. Already well known as part of concentrated solar power systems (solar -> heat -> thermal storage -> steam-cycle power generation) the broader potential for this inexpensive tehcnology is now being recognised not only for grid supply but also for industry/commercial applications requiring large heat energy input.
 
Chemical energy storage is another of the rapidly developing dimensions. Hydrogen and ammonia are now seen as partners in this space. Ammonia has huge potential both as a “hydrogen carrier” for export and local storage, as well as a fuel in its own right. International ship builders are seriously considering ammonia as the renewable fuel of the future and there is even discussion of its potential as a jet fuel for short haul flights.
 
Australia has a huge role to play as a renewable energy generator for the world and these technologies are part of that picture. Our storEnergy Industry Transformation Training Centre is dedicated to educating the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists in relevant fields and we look forward to them leading the way towards a truly renewable energy future.