{"id":10068,"date":"2022-01-30T13:26:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T13:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1379168"},"modified":"2022-01-30T13:26:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-30T13:26:01","slug":"stop-hyping-batteries-its-pumped-hydro-that-will-save-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=10068","title":{"rendered":"Stop hyping batteries, it\u2019s pumped hydro that will save the planet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in <\/span>half within a decade<\/a>, the Biden administration\u2019s goal, the U.S. is going to need a lot more solar and wind power generation, and lots of cheap energy storage.<\/p>\n

Wind and solar power vary over the course of a day, so energy storage is essential to provide a continuous flow of electricity. But today\u2019s batteries are typically quite small and store enough energy for only a few hours of electricity. To rely more on wind and solar power, the U.S. will need more overnight and longer-term storage as well.<\/p>\n

While battery innovations <\/span>get a lot of attention<\/a>, there\u2019s a simple, proven long-term storage technique that\u2019s been used in the U.S. since the 1920s.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s called <\/span>pumped hydro energy storage<\/a>. It involves pumping water uphill from one reservoir to another at a higher elevation for storage, then, when power is needed, releasing the water to flow downhill through turbines, generating electricity on its way to the lower reservoir.<\/p>\n

\"pumped
<\/i><\/a>Two types of pumped-storage hydropower; one doesn\u2019t require a river (Credit: NREL<\/a>)<\/figcaption>