Revision as of 16:49, 29 January 2011

Energy storage is accomplished by devices or physical media that store some form of energy to perform some useful operation at a later time. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator.

All forms of energy are either potential energy (e.g. Chemical, gravitational, electrical energy, etc.) or kinetic energy (e.g. thermal energy). A wind-up clock stores potential energy (in this case mechanical, in the spring tension), a battery stores readily convertible chemical energy to operate a mobile phone, and a hydroelectric dam stores energy in a reservoir as gravitational potential energy. Ice storage tanks store ice (thermal energy) at night to meet peak demand for cooling. Fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline store ancient energy derived from sunlight by organisms that later died, became buried and over time were then converted into these fuels. Even food (which is made by the same process as fossil fuels) is a form of energy stored in chemical form.

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 {{highlight
-| headline = A 12 V automotive lead-acid battery
+| headline = [[NASA]] G2 flywheel module
-| page=Lead-acid battery
+| page=Flywheel energy storage
-| image=Car_battery.jpg
+| image=NASA_flywheel.jpg
-| summary=[[Batteries]] are the most familiar form of [[energy storage]].}}
+| summary=[[Flywheels]] can be used to store kinetic energy.}}
-'''Photovoltaics''' (PV)  is a method of generating electrical power by converting [[solar radiation]] into [[direct current]] [[electricity]] using [[semiconductor]]s that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs [[solar panel]]s comprising a number of [[solar cell|cells]] containing a photovoltaic material. Materials presently used for photovoltaics include [[monocrystalline silicon]], [[polycrystalline silicon]], [[amorphous silicon]], [[cadmium telluride]], and [[copper indium selenide]]/sulfide.<ref name=jac/> Due to the growing demand for [[renewable energy]] sources, the manufacturing of solar cells and [[photovoltaic array]]s has advanced considerably in recent years.<ref name="German PV market">[http://www.solarbuzz.com/FastFactsGermany.htm German PV market]</ref><ref name="renewableenergyaccess.com">[http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47861 BP Solar to Expand Its Solar Cell Plants in Spain and India]</ref><ref name="technologyreview.com">[http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17025&ch=biztech Large-Scale, Cheap Solar Electricity]</ref>
+'''Energy storage''' is accomplished by devices or physical media that store some form of [[energy]] to perform some useful operation at a later time.  A device that stores energy is sometimes called an [[Accumulator (energy)|accumulator]].
-As of 2010, solar photovoltaics generates electricity in more than 100 countries and, while yet comprising a tiny fraction of the 4.8&nbsp;[[Orders of magnitude (power)#terawatt (1012 watts)|TW]] total global power-generating capacity from all sources, is the fastest growing power-generation technology in the world. Between 2004 and 2009, [[Grid-connected PV electric system|grid-connected PV]] capacity increased at an annual average rate of 60 percent, to some 21&nbsp;[[Orders of magnitude (power)#gigawatt (109 watts)|GW]].<ref name=ren2010>[[REN21]]. [http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf Renewables 2010 Global Status Report] p. 19.</ref> Such installations may be ground-mounted (and sometimes integrated with farming and grazing)<ref name="huliq.com">[http://www.huliq.com/18313/ge-invests-delivers-one-of-worlds-largest-solar-power-plants GE Invests, Delivers One of World's Largest Solar Power Plants]</ref> or built into the roof or walls of a building, known as [[Building-integrated photovoltaics|Building Integrated Photovoltaics]] or BIPV for short.<ref name="Building integrated photovoltaics">[http://www.buildingsolar.com/technology.asp Building integrated photovoltaics]</ref> [[Off-grid]] PV accounts for an additional 3–4&nbsp;GW.<ref name=ren2010/>
-Driven by advances in technology and increases in manufacturing scale and sophistication, the cost of photovoltaics has declined steadily since the first solar cells were manufactured.<ref>Richard M. Swanson. Photovoltaics Power Up, ''Science'', Vol. 324, 15 May 2009, p. 891.</ref>  [[Net metering]] and financial incentives, such as preferential [[Feed-in Tariff|feed-in tariff]]s for solar-generated electricity, have supported solar PV installations in many countries.
+All forms of energy are either [[potential energy]] (e.g. [[Chemical]], [[gravity|gravitational]], [[electrical energy]], etc.) or [[kinetic energy]] (e.g. [[thermal energy]]).  A wind-up clock stores potential energy (in this case mechanical, in the spring tension), a [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] stores readily convertible chemical energy to operate a mobile phone, and a [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] dam stores [[Electrical power industry|energy]] in a [[reservoir]] as gravitational [[potential energy]]. [[Thermal_energy_storage#Air_conditioning|Ice storage]] tanks store ice ([[thermal energy]]) at night to meet peak demand for cooling. [[Fossil fuel]]s such as coal and gasoline store ancient energy derived from sunlight by organisms that later died, became buried and over time were then converted into these fuels. Even [[food]] (which is made by the same process as fossil fuels) is a form of energy stored in [[chemical]] form.
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