The Path to Energy Security is Green

Reliance on fossil fuels has long created energy insecurity, and today we also face new threats from extreme weather, cyberattacks on energy infrastructure and unstable energy supply chains. To truly achieve energy independence, we need to create a resilient energy system powered by renewable energy and built using flexible supply chains that do not rely upon politically unstable regions of the world. This transformation should be backed by a strategic transition plan, government/industry collaboration and investment in innovation.

This is not a distant possibility; technologies commercially available today can underpin this transition to a clean, resilient energy system. Learn more in this latest white paper how innovation and strategic investment will lead to energy independence.

Grid Stability in the Age of Fire and Ice

The difficulties plaguing the grid that left millions of people without power in early 2021 have not gone away. In fact, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the Texas grid, reported in July 2021 that there had already been 1,280 unplanned summer outages.

The latest ESS white paper, Grid Stability in the Age of Fire and Ice: How Environmentally Sustainable, Long-Duration Energy Storage is Starting to Firm a Shaky Grid, explains why our long-duration iron flow battery that uses safe, earth-abundant and recyclable materials is best positioned to drive market growth in renewables, stablize the grid and address climate change in the years ahead.

Life Cycle Analysis of the ESS Inc. Iron Flow Battery

In an independent assessment conducted at the University of California-Irvine, scientists evaluated the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of three different flow battery types. Iron-flow batteries tested to be the cleanest technology compared to batteries using vanadium and zinc. They’re also significantly less harmful to the environment over their entire life cycle compared to lithium-ion batteries.

Further Beyond 4 Hours: Revisiting Long-Duration Storage

Key findings include

• Long-duration storage is now commonly viewed as having a delivery time of at least four hours, and the need for it is growing.
• Renewable energy self-consumption is seen as the most promising application for long-duration storage. But many other applications, from backup power to short-term operating reserves, were also cited, highlighting the potential for revenue stacking.
• The most promising technology for long-duration storage is flow batteries and the key criterion for selecting a given asset is cost, particularly the level of capital expenditure required.

Beyond 4 Hours: The Transition to a More Flexible, Valuable, Long-Duration Storage Asset

Key findings include

• Smart storage purchasers are beginning to look beyond capital expense to more effective measures of lifetime cost and flexibility.
• Long-duration storage’s capability to seamlessly integrate energy and power applications.
• Long-duration storage’s ability to provide substantial flexibility in dealing with ever-changing regulatory and legislative landscapes, not to mention commercial volatility.

Long-Duration Energy Storage for California’s Clean, Reliable Grid

Key findings report

• ESS was part of a select group of CESA members to contribute to the ground-breaking study: Long-Duration Energy Storage for California’s Clean, Reliable Grid.
• California alone will need to increase its long-duration energy storage capacity by deploying 2-11 GW by 2030, and 45-55 GW by 2045.
• Significant procurement activities for long-duration storage need to happen before 2025 to ensure that California has a sufficient pipeline of long-duration storage projects to meet future grid needs.
• Regulatory changes could unlock the value of energy storage beyond 4-hours and
• The flexibility that comes with long-duration storage can strengthen a grid that is increasingly being populated with “use-limited” assets.

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