Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›North America›Developers test long-duration storage to keep solar ru…
Developers test long-duration storage to keep solar running overnight
Crescent Dunes in Nevada combines solar capacity with 19GWh of storage, while researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory are working on smaller alternatives designed for electronic tags.
Developers are trialling alternative energy storage technologies to tackle one of clean power’s biggest challenges, storing renewable electricity for use when the sun is not shining. In the Nevada desert, the Crescent Dunes project harnesses solar energy to heat a reservoir of potassium and sodium nitrate to 560C.
The project is part of a broader push to pair solar generation with large-scale storage, and the article says the UAE is steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create what it describes as the largest battery scheme in the world, capable of powering the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.
In parallel, researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory facility in Colorado are working on very small batteries, designed to power electronic tags that will track 3-inch-long young salmon and eel species. The story also highlights that, unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, some alternative battery technologies are intended to be used indefinitely and recycled after about a 20-year service life, potentially reducing pressure to source critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
The Guardian Business also notes that alternative storage materials are being explored across use cases beyond electricity storage, including powering wearable technology and heating networks, and that developers have been turning to these approaches to support low-carbon energy more reliably.