4 ways to store renewable energy that don’t involve batteries

Jan 26, 2023

Renewable energy cannot provide steady and interrupted flows of electricity – making energy storage increasingly important. Image: Unsplash/thomasrichter

Ian Shine

Senior Writer, Forum Agenda

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Graph showing the renewable electricity capacity additions

Global renewable capacity could rise as much in 2022-27 as it did in the previous 20 years. Image: IEA

Hydropower accounts for more than 60% of global renewable energy generation. Image: Our World in Data

Pumped hydroelectric storage. renewable energy

Pumped hydroelectric storage operates according to similar principles to gravity-based energy storage. It pumps water from a lower reservoir into a higher reservoir, and can then release this water and pass it downwards through turbines to generate power as and when required. Water is pumped to the higher reservoir at times when electricity demand and prices are low. It is released when electricity demand rises. Image: International Hydropower Association

Compressed air energy storage. renewable energy

Compressed air energy storage involves moving highly pressurized air into underground caverns. Image: European Association for Storage of Energy

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