GLOBAL FUTURE ANALYSIS


ENERGY | STORAGE


Electrical power is a momentum potential, it's only available on the moment it is available has in itself no storage characteristics and is gone 1/50 or 1/60 second after its potential (by a 50 or 60 Hertz AC cycle). Power can only be stored by conversion to other energy statuses and this will always lead to energy lost to warmth and other not wanted types of energy in putting in storage, being stored and taking it out of storage. Beside these energy looses, storage facilities cost capital, maintenance, management, value reduction, space demand and risk insurance. So live energy is the most efficient (and therefore cheapest) type of energy. Just like on location energy also is the best type or energy (preventing transport investment and looses). Storage of power has three drives: 1) saving/managing daily occurring overcapacities cycles, 2) preventing/managing daily undercapacities and 3) giving mobile capacities (needed in mobility) and 4) giving offline capacities (just by hydrogen of by virtual -product production processes- needed by off-grid supply and/or demand locations). Each household and each commercial building will have some sort of chemical storage unit. Effective hydrogen production is still a long road to go, effective and decentral (micro sized) hydrogen production is even further away. Nothing is achieved yet technological in this direction. The hydrogen economy is a beautiful concept, but still technological some bridges further. Due the fact that storage costs a lot, storage will become also more virtual: use/demand moments will be adjusted to the supply: we will use energy on the moments it's the less expensive.


Author: Gijs Graafland


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