Battery electricity storage: key technology for the energy future

The use of battery power storage: A key technology for the energy future

Energy storage is one of the key technologies playing a significant role in the energy transition. It enables the storage of generated energy and its subsequent release when demand is higher or renewable energy sources such as solar or wind are unavailable. This flexibility is crucial to ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy supply. Below, we provide an overview of the use of energy storage, its advantages, challenges, and our battery specialization available on the market.

1. Introduction to the world of battery storage
Our battery storage systems are technical systems and facilities that store electrical energy in the form of chemical energy for later release as needed. This storage technology is often used to temporarily store excess energy, for example, generated from renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power plants, and use it at a later time when electricity production from these sources decreases or demand increases. Due to their high energy density and long service life (8,000 cycles), our installed lithium iron phosphate batteries are the most efficient technology in modern battery storage systems, both in private households and in large industrial facilities.

2. The importance of electricity storage for the energy transition
Renewable energies such as solar and wind power have the advantage of being climate-friendly and sustainable. However, they also pose a major challenge: They are not always available when electricity demand is high. An electricity storage system can help overcome this challenge by storing excess energy, which can then be used when renewable electricity production is insufficient.
For example, a battery storage system can store the excess energy generated by solar cells during the day and feed it back into the grid at night or on cloudy days. This optimizes the use of renewable energy and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.

3. Advantages of electricity storage
The use of electricity storage brings a number of advantages:
• Flexibility and network stability: Energy storage systems can respond to fluctuations in the power grid in real time, thus contributing to grid stability. They are capable of absorbing excess energy and quickly releasing it when needed, increasing the reliability of the energy supply. In this way, they support the frequency stability of the grid by quickly responding to frequency fluctuations and either feeding energy into the grid or absorbing it. This prevents potential grid instabilities and power outages. They can also contribute to maintaining a stable grid voltage by balancing voltage fluctuations.
• Energy independence: Battery storage systems are particularly suitable for private households and businesses, allowing them to reduce their dependence on public power grids or achieve complete self-sufficiency. For example, those who own a photovoltaic system can use a suitable battery storage system to store the generated electricity for their own use and use it as needed. In households and businesses, battery storage systems thus serve as a backup system to maintain power supply in the event of a power outage.By temporarily storing energy, energy storage systems can cap peak loads and thus counteract overloading of the grid infrastructure. This, in turn, extends the service life of the required grid elements and reduces the need for costly expansions and upgrades.
• Optimization of energy costs: By storing electricity, you as a consumer can take advantage of low energy prices by charging your battery and using this energy at a later time when electricity prices have increased. This is particularly advantageous in markets with variable electricity tariffs. These dynamic electricity prices do not have a constant price for the respective electricity consumption, but change depending on market conditions (e.g., supply and demand). This means that prices are higher or lower at certain times. The unpredictability of electricity prices can be disadvantageous for consumers, especially if their individual electricity consumption cannot be adjusted to the cheaper times.
• Reducing CO2 emissions: Storing and using excess electricity from renewable energy sources helps reduce the use of fossil fuels and lower CO2 emissions in the energy sector. This serves as an important building block for limiting global warming and minimizing the negative impacts of climate change.

4. Challenges in the use of battery power storage
Although battery energy storage offers numerous advantages, there are also challenges that need to be addressed and overcome.
The initial costs of battery energy storage systems, such as our more advanced lithium-ion batteries, can be higher than those of other energy storage models. However, lithium-ion batteries are proving to be the backbone of many modern technologies. Their costs have long had a significant impact on the overall prices of products such as electric cars and other battery-powered devices. However, in recent years, several factors have led to a significant price reduction. Government subsidies and incentives have significantly reduced the prices of battery cells. These subsidies, the associated tax incentives for battery production, and investments in research and development promote the technology (for example, improving cell chemistry or optimizing production processes) and help to further reduce costs.

5. Areas of application of electricity storage systems
Energy storage systems are used in various areas, both in the private and commercial and industrial sectors:
• Private households: In combination with photovoltaic systems, battery storage systems offer an excellent opportunity to store solar power for your own needs and to optimize energy consumption.
• Industry and commerce: Companies that consume large amounts of electricity can reduce their energy costs and make their energy supply more flexible with electricity storage. Battery storage plays an important role here, too, but technologies such as compressed air and pumped-storage power plants are also of interest.
• Power grids: Large-scale electricity storage systems are important for grid operators to ensure grid stability and cushion peak loads. They can help balance short-term fluctuations in electricity production and demand, thus making power grids more efficient.

6.Outlook: The future of electricity storage
Energy storage technology has made tremendous progress in recent years and will continue to play a central role in the transition to a greener and more sustainable energy supply. The expansion of energy storage is being driven by increasing innovations in battery technology, the expansion of renewable energies, and improved recycling technologies.
Of particular interest is the development of larger, more cost-effective, and more sustainable storage technologies suitable for broader application in industry and the public sector. New approaches such as solid-state batteries or liquid energy storage could be even more efficient and environmentally friendly in the future.
In addition, intelligent smart grid technologies and artificial intelligence are increasingly being integrated into the management and control of electricity storage systems in order to optimize their use and improve interaction with the electricity grid.

Conclusion
Electricity storage is an indispensable tool on the path to a more sustainable and flexible energy future. It contributes to meeting the challenges of the energy transition by enabling the integration of renewable energies, stabilizing the energy supply, and helping consumers reduce their energy costs. Despite some challenges, particularly with regard to costs and recycling, electricity storage offers a promising solution for the future of energy supply and plays a crucial role in the transformation towards a climate-neutral society.