4 Things You Should Know About Energy Storage

We don’t fawn over battery technology like we do over shiny gadgets and smart apps, but know this: it’s set to play an important role in our attempt to use more low-carbon energy like solar and wind.

Batteries and other energy storage equipment make it possible to store solar and wind electricity and use it whenever it’s needed, not just when it’s produced. That ability will help utilities to manage their power supply and demand. More interestingly, it will help businesses and homeowners to do the same as a growing number of them install solar panels on their roofs.

That’s partly why Tesla Motors TSLA -0.45% is building giant lithium-ion battery factories. While the company intends to use the batteries mostly to power its cars, it’s getting ready for the energy storage market to take off as renewable energy gradually increases its share in the country’s — and the world’s — electricity mix.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2014/09/30/4-things-you-should-know-about-energy-storage/

Photo by Eddie Shvartzman, courtesy of EnerVault