Study: It’s Cheaper to Shut Down Wind Turbine, Than to Pay for Energy Storage

A new study finds that it may be better for the environment to temporarily shut down a wind turbine than to store the surplus electricity it generates. (Credit: Flickr - FranceHouseHunt.com)

dailyfusion.net - by Mark Shwartz - September 11, 2013

Conventional grid-scale batteries are fine for solar farms, but technological improvements are needed for efficient storage of wind power, Stanford scientists say. Renewable energy holds the promise of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. But there are times when solar and wind farms generate more electricity than is needed by consumers. Storing that surplus energy in batteries for later use seems like an obvious solution, but a new study from Stanford University suggests that might not always be the case.

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CLICK HERE - STUDY - The energetic implications of curtailing versus storing solar- and wind-generated electricity