To have a steady supply of electricity generated from solar energy, energy storage is crucial.
According to Digitimes Research, in addition to the various types of energy storage such as batteries and molten salt technology, research laboratories such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandia National Laboratories, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, have been developing solar energy storage using chemical bonds.
Germany-based ETOGAS has also been developing technology to transfer the electricity generated from solar power into renewable natural gas.
Currently, chemical bond energy is less efficient compared to other energy storage techniques but can be extracted in the form of fuel for firms to obtain extra income. The business model is operational and chemical energy storage does not have problems such as crystallization and limited lifespan that occur with batteries, said Digitimes Research. If chemical bond energy can improve efficiency, the technology will become crucial to solar and wind power electricity generators.
