{"id":13484,"date":"2023-08-18T12:55:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T12:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1399091"},"modified":"2023-08-18T12:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T12:55:18","slug":"waterless-hydro-tech-can-turn-hills-into-giant-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=13484","title":{"rendered":"Waterless hydro tech can turn hills into giant batteries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span>Thousands of hills across Britain could be transformed into renewable energy batteries thanks to a new \u2018high-density\u2019 hydropower system buried underground.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Developed by UK startup RheEnergise, the system puts a modern spin on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/spanish-island-builds-giant-water-battery-to-boost-energy-security\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>pumped storage hydro<\/span><\/a><span>, a centuries-old technology which accounts for 95% of today\u2019s energy storage capacity. Pumped storage hydro uses surplus electricity to pump water into an uphill reservoir, later releasing it back downhill over a set of turbines and into the original lake, generating electricity on demand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Except RheEnergise\u2019s hydro system doesn\u2019t use water at all, but a proprietary high-density fluid. Named R-19 it is 2.5 times denser than water. While the company is all hush-hush about the chemistry behind the gloop, it is said to be made from \u201cultra-cheap\u201d materials and is non-toxic to the environment.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1399117 js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup.jpg\" alt width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-280x187.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-203x135.jpg 203w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-405x270.jpg 405w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-796x531.jpg 796w\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/high-density-hydro-technology-energy-storage#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fsustainability%2F2023%2F08%2F18%2Fhigh-density-hydro-technology-energy-storage%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: How high-density hydro works in comparison with regular pumped hydro. Credit: RheEnergise\" data-title=\"Share How high-density hydro works in comparison with regular pumped hydro. Credit: RheEnergise on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share How high-density hydro works in comparison with regular pumped hydro. Credit: RheEnergise on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"><\/i><\/a>How high-density hydro works in comparison with regular pumped hydro. Credit: RheEnergise<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1399117\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup.jpg\" alt width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-280x187.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-203x135.jpg 203w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-405x270.jpg 405w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2023\/08\/RheEnergise-hydro-tech-startup-796x531.jpg 796w\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>The benefit of using this fluid instead of water is it generates the same amount of electricity <\/span><span>from just 40% of the elevation change, using tanks 40% of the size \u2014 think <\/span><span>hills and underground tanks instead of mountains and huge dams. This means a smaller system that can be deployed faster, at more sites, and with fewer costs, or at least that\u2019s the idea.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The high-density hydro system will pump R-19 uphill into underground storage tanks larger than an Olympic-size swimming pool, and then release the fluid on demand. <\/span><span>Projects will range from 5MW to 100MW of power and can work with vertical elevations as low as 100 metres or less.<\/span><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\" readability=\"0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/events\/talks\" data-event-category=\"Article\" data-event-action=\"In Article Block\" data-event-label=\"Catch up on our conference talks\" target=\"_blank\" readability=\"4\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">Catch up on our conference talks<\/p>\n<p>Watch videos of our past talks for free with TNW All Access \u2192<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>RheEnergise commercial director Sophie Orme said that with the urgency to decarbonise the UK\u2019s energy system,<\/span><span> it is significant that their system can be built in \u201cone to two years\u201d and gain planning consent \u201cin just months.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The company estimates that there are 6,500 potential sites in the UK alone and that its projects will be cheaper than equivalent lithium-ion batteries.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>We need long-term energy storage<\/h2>\n<p><span>As European countries decarbonise their energy systems, adopting&nbsp;<\/span><span>energy storage solutions to balance the intermittent supply of renewable energy and increase energy security is becoming increasingly urgent.&nbsp;<\/span><span>According to the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE), the EU will need 200GW of&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mobilityforesights.com\/product\/europe-energy-storage-market\/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20European%20Association,deploying%202.8GW%2F3.3GWh.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen-934287_1021=\"207465\" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time-934287_1021=\"100\" data-gtm-vis-has-fired-934287_1021=\"1\"><span>energy storage<\/span><\/a><span>&nbsp;by the end of the decade and 600GW by 2050.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Proponents of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eesi.org\/papers\/view\/energy-storage-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>alternative energy<\/span><\/a><span> storage technologies argue that lithium-ion batteries will only get us so far. Their production relies on mining, they don\u2019t have very long lifespans and are arguably not ideal for storing energy longer than several hours. Long-term storage solutions are critical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOur HD Hydro technology can provide medium and long-duration energy storage, which is becoming increasingly important as the UK\u2019s energy system is increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables,\u201d said Stephen Crosher, RheEnergise\u2019s chief executive.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This \u2018slow-burn\u2019 energy storage is essential to <\/span><span>stabilise the grid when the wind isn\u2019t blowing or the sun isn\u2019t shining. Other <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/europe-high-tech-scramble-for-better-energy-storage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>startups working in this space<\/span><\/a><span> include Scotland\u2019s Gravitricity, which plans to create electricity by dropping weights down old mine shafts, and Finland\u2019s Polar Night Energy which uses giant vats of sand to store energy in the form of heat.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While these solutions sound really cool, RheEnergise has the advantage that its approach builds upon a tried and tested technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>RheEnergise <\/span><span>has just signed an agreement with UK company Mercia Power Response, aiming to deploy 100MW of energy storage by 2030 using Mercia\u2019s existing grid connections. <\/span><span>In November, the company also won a \u00a38.25m grant from the UK government to build a small 250kW <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rheenergise.com\/press-release---beis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>demonstrator<\/span><\/a><span> at a mine in Devon within the next year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe are also pursuing a number of project opportunities elsewhere in continental Europe and Canada,\u201d said Crosher, following the announcement last year. \u201cWe expect to have our first 5MW grid-scale project in operation in 2026.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/high-density-hydro-technology-energy-storage\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of hills across Britain could be transformed into renewable energy batteries thanks to a new \u2018high-density\u2019 hydropower system buried underground. Developed by UK startup RheEnergise, the system puts a modern spin&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13484"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}