Energy Storage Developments and Demonstrations

Pervasive penetration of renewable generation can cause instability in the energy infrastructure and thus require distributed and dispatchable backup clean energy generation and storage. For a stable distributed smart grid, nuclear power systems with integrated energy storage are needed. Many possible technology options exist for storing either the thermal energy from the nuclear plant or electricity from the turbine in the power cycle, each with advantages and disadvantages. The adoption of particular energy storage options is largely dependent upon the scale of energy generation, ease of integration, and the end-use. In addition to providing dispatchable electricity, other applications of energy storage systems include building heating-cooling, industrial process heat, charging electric vehicles, etc. This panel includes well-known experts in the field of energy storage and nuclear hybrid systems from industry, national laboratories, and academia to discuss the state of demonstration and development of energy storage technologies.