Is Energy Storage the Next Big Entrepreneurial Movement?

It should come as no surprise that the increased production of energy in the U.S. has in turn led to an increased demand for energy storage. This in itself has the potential to become the next big entrepreneurial movement. The ability to develop technology to store energy so it can meet demand whenever needed would represent a major breakthrough in power distribution, and this is exactly what certain startup businesses in the U.S. are doing.

Energy storage startups in the U.S. have begun developing compressed air renewable energy storage systems. Like other compressed air systems, these technologies use motors to compress air in a tank to store energy generated by wind farms and other renewable resources. When the air is heated, it expands and drives pistons to generate power – even when the wind isn’t blowing.

The goal of this innovative technology is to capture the heat generated by compression and store it in a spray of water for later use. This would allow for a much more efficient storage system since energy would not need to be expended when reheating the air. Because of this, the grids can be balanced to achieve a level match between generation and load. This means storage devices can provide frequency regulation to maintain the balance between the load and power generated to achieve a more reliable power supply; thus, energy storage holds a great deal of promise for transforming the power industry.

Energy storage can provide many benefits to the power industry as well as its customers. Included in these benefits are:

• Improved power quality and reliable delivery
• Improved stability and reliability of systems
• Increased use of existing equipment, eliminating costly upgrades
• Improved availability and increased market value of distributed generation sources

Energy storage allows power to be efficiently controlled to support long distance transmission.  This capability will allow the system to respond effectively to disturbances and to operate more efficiently, thereby reducing the need for additional infrastructure. Continual technological advances such as these allow for an increased demand for both researchers and employees in the energy sector. If you are looking for further information on making your next career move in the energy industry, contact FootBridge Energy today!