Intermittency Buffers

Abstract

Possibly the most often repeated argument against the wholesale adoption of renewable power emanates from its intermittency. However, while this may be justifiable for individual renewable power stations, it is less so when many thousands of stations of different types, ranged over a continent such as Europe, are made to deliver power cooperatively by means of a ‘super-grid’ electricity transmission system. Furthermore the capacity of such a system to produce electrical power reliably and efficiently would be greatly enhanced by designing it around massive energy storage facilities. A range of storage methods ranging from compressed air to superconducting magnets are examined in this chapter, with the emphasis on identifying, for the various systems discussed, potential storage capacities, technical maturity, viability, efficiency, and safety. In addition, an ‘eco-grid’, with the capability of integrating a diversity of renewable power stations and massive energy storage facilities, in order to reliably generate electrical power on a global scale, is postulated.