• Chloë (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    35
    ·
    1 month ago

    Did you know that the best way we currently have to store energy are dams? In most dams you can install a pump to take water and store it higher, then when energy is needed you simply open the turbine.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      35
      ·
      1 month ago

      The problem with dams or pumped storage is it only works in specific places where you have a higher place to put lots of water.

    • BigFig@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 month ago

      Hydrogen and Methane Power-to-gas can store more power for longer than hydro pump

        • Grimy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          21
          ·
          edit-2
          1 month ago

          The downvotes are because almost all of the global hydrogen production is made either with natural gas, as a byproduct of oil drilling or through coal.

          In its current state, it is a fake green product pushed by the oil industry to hamper the transition.

          • PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            11
            ·
            1 month ago

            Ah - that makes sense, thank you. You’re correct, but I work in the aerospace industry with hydrogen fuel cells and green hydrogen is all I’m familiar with, but I realize now that this was bias on my part.

          • catloaf@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 month ago

            Is hydrolysis not cost-effective? If we have excess electricity, as in this case, can we not use that to get hydrogen?

          • BigFig@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 month ago

            On the recent lemmy topic of using up votes and down votes incorrectly.

            Literally just stating a verifiable fact, not in support or against the technology, and I get down voted lol.

        • bobburger@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          1 month ago

          I think it’s the physical size of the reservoir that is the limiting factor. You can’t reasonable expand most reservoirs, but it’s relatively easy to create new hydrogen/methane storage tanks.

          • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 month ago

            Yes but pumped storage is about 80% round trip efficiency vs power to x which is barely touching 20% out of the lab. And power to X needs an epic fuckton of very clean water, which also isn’t easy to find.

      • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 month ago

        At huge inefficiency loss though. Denmark is probably further with this than anywhere else in the world and even they are sputtering on getting this going.

    • HeartyBeast@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 month ago

      You need a certain kind of landscape for that. I think the UK only has a couple of pumped storage power stations due to lack of suitable sites

      • freebee@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 month ago

        Pretty sure geographically germany still has a few nice spots for it. Allgau, Schwarzwald, Pfälzerwald …

        It’s just all these damn people with their damn towns and livelyhoods that are in the way.