the film
forum
library
tutorial
contact
Economic and dam related articles

New Battery to Store Wind Energy
Being Tested In Tri-Cities

by Steve Jackson
Northwest Public Radio, July 8, 2013

A new battery power storage system that may provide some long term solutions to storing power from the electrical grid is being tested in the Tri-Cities. Steve Jackson reports.

Testing is underway at a wind farm near the Tri-Cities on a new battery that can store electricity produced from wind power.

Currently, power produced from wind or even hydro has to be used as it is produced. John Steigers is with the public power consortium, Energy Northwest.

Steigers: "Electricity in general is difficult to store, or to save for later, you have to use it... The whole system in the country is based on the premise that what is being produced has to be used."

The new battery that is being tested is huge -- half the size of a railway shipping container. It utilizes modern Lithium ion technology.

Steigers says the battery is being tested at several different locations. The idea is that it can store wind energy that is generated at times of the day when actual use by consumers is not all that high.

Steigers: "It tends to show up at night, when the loads for the system are the lowest, and when it shows up you can store it, and then later in the day when air conditioners are on and people are working it, the electricity can be used at that time."

Steigers says the battery is expected to be able to store enough electricity to power fifty homes for a year. He says long term plans for the batteries would be to site them where they are needed, at industrial areas or neighborhoods to power individual homes.


Steve Jackson
Gov. Inslee Visits Eastern Washington to Support First Wind Project <-- Listen at original site.
Northwest Public Radio, July 8, 2013

See what you can learn

learn more on topics covered in the film
see the video
read the script
learn the songs
discussion forum
salmon animation