lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

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notsobright
notsobright Solar Expert Posts: 247 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
Ive been thinking about other ways to save the extra power generated by PV after my batteries are full.

a Hydrogen fuel cell seems to be one way.

Ive been kicking that idea arround a bit then I ran accross an air powered motorbike that has four scuba tanks for storage and has a ten mile range with that. seems pretty good!

so compressed air is another way. surely its not too effcient but it IS another way.

what other ways can we store energy?

thanks
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    Compressed air, water pumping, diversion loads into hot water, heating elements on gas absorption (Propane) fridge, running a freezer to extra lower temps so that it doesn't have to run as much as a load etc.

    I do believe however, that matching PV to load/charge capacity such that things mostly balance out is probably the most efficient strategy. If you can build a system that goes into float every day just as the sun comes off the PV every day of the year is pretty tough, but finding the average is not as tough.

    Tony
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  • notsobright
    notsobright Solar Expert Posts: 247 ✭✭
    #3
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    Im looking to store it so that I can re-convert it back to electricity though.

    so far compressed air is looking like a pretty good way. at least its easy and also has multiple uses.

    theres gotta be other ways too though
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  • RCinFLA
    RCinFLA Solar Expert Posts: 1,484 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    LiFeYPO4 batteries are perfectly happy with continual partial charge state.

    They are very efficient on charge and discharge. Have low leakage.

    Put in excess A-H capacity to give you storage overhead.

    Down side is they are about 2-2.5x the cost. Cell charge balance requires an efficient charge redistribution management sytem.
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  • Kamala
    Kamala Solar Expert Posts: 452 ✭✭
    #5
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    Let me see... LiFeYPO4, in elemental/molecular/radical terms means:

    Lithium
    Iron
    Yttrium
    Phosphorus
    Oxygen

    What won't they think of next?
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #6
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    There has been lots of noise about compressed air powered cars... But I have always thought that this was an over-hyped technology. And, I guess that has been confirmed by one mfg:
    Tata Motors As of May 2007[update] Tata Motors of India had planned to launch a car with an MDI compressed air engine in 2008.[20] Tata subsequently announced that the technology was still in development stage and the launch of a commercially viable vehicle in the near future was not possible.[21]
    In December 2009 Tata's vice president of engineering systems confirmed that the limited range and low engine temperatures were causing difficulties [22].

    And:
    Energine The Energine Corporation was a South Korean company that claimed to deliver fully-assembled cars running on a hybrid compressed air and electric engine. These cars are more precisely named pneumatic-hybrid electric vehicles.[26] Engineers from this company made, starting from a Daewoo Matiz, a prototype of a hybrid electric/compressed-air engine (Pne-PHEV, pneumatic plug-in hybrid electric vehicleI][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed"]citation needed[/URL][/I). The compressed-air engine is used to activate an alternator, which extends the autonomous operating capacity of the car.
    The CEO is the first compressed air car promoter to be arrested for fraud.[27]

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #7
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    If your land can accomodate it, then building a small dam with pumped hydro could be a cost effective solution.
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  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    #8
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    Re: lets discuss other alternative energy storage systems.

    For the small dam - consider that with 10 meters of head and a flow of 1 liter per second you generate 98 watts and with a turbine efficiency of 60% you have 59 watts. This does NOT take into account energy required to pump the water into the dam.

    You either need a lot of head or a lot of storage. Not a practical small scale solution.

    Matter of fact it isn't very practical large scale either if you consider you will be losing more than 50% of the power generated.
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