Gravel battery makes renewable cheap energy more reliable - 29/04/2010
A new gravel battery has been designed to help regulate the flow of electricity from renewable cheap energy sources to the national grid.
Designed by Cambridge-based firm Isentropic, the giant battery stores energy so when wind stops blowing or solar energy is scarce, there is still a regular supply of electricity being fed into the national grid.
The battery is based on the concept of the Isentropic Pumped Heat Electricity Storage system using a highly reversible heat engine to pump heat between two storage vessels containing particulate mineral such as gravel.
By producing a constant supply of energy, the battery makes renewable cheap energy much more reliable.
A spokesperson for RenewableUK commented: "In scenarios where there are large contributions from renewables feeding into the electricity grid, there will also be a niche role for electricity storage solutions."
"However, just as currently there are a number of solutions such as pumped storage, which help balance the grid, so other innovative solutions are likely to come forward."
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