Abstract
In this paper an alternative to battery storage of solar electricity is proposed, in which storage and generation are performed by two separate devices. Storage is realized in an electrolytic cell which reduces a metal oxide to metal through solar electricity, and the produced metal anode generates electricity on demand in a metal/air battery. By separating storage and generation, this approach allows centralized storage and distributed generation with distributed optional grid connectivity. The theoretical performance is calculated for many metal↔metal oxide cycles. Based on material abundance, theoretical performance, process simplicity and technical readiness, the Zn↔ZnO cycle is proposed for this closed sustainable energy loop. The amount of Zn required for terawatt-scale storage of solar electricity is estimated.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 2016 IEEE 43rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2016 |
| Publisher | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. |
| Pages | 2011-2014 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Volume | 2016-November |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781509027248 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 18 2016 |
| Event | 43rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2016 - Portland, United States Duration: Jun 5 2016 → Jun 10 2016 |
Other
| Other | 43rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| City | Portland |
| Period | 6/5/16 → 6/10/16 |
Keywords
- electrochemical processes
- energy storage
- photovoltaic systems
- zinc
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering