Energy storage has long posed an efficiency problem for renewable energy transformation. But lately, new technologies have been emerging that could solve the matter. One of those technologies comes from Denmark and involves a giant facility that heats up stones to 600 degrees as a means of storing energy.
The idea is that excess energy produced by intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar can be used to pump very hot air into the stone storage, where the energy stored in the form of heat for many days.
The basic concept is that cheap, non-degradable, and environmentally friendly storage materials combined with appropriate technology can reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of energy storage.If scaled up, such projects could help countries save energy in much larger quantities over longer periods and thus pave the road for a smoother transition towards renewables.
