New Battery Technology May Help In Developing The New Power Grid

A CMU Professor has received a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy. The money is part of recovery act funding and will go towards the development of a high-volume battery that can store power from the electrical grid. By storing power a power station will be able to avoid wasting of energy and save money. Currently the power grid has to turn on extra power stations when there is peak demand for energy. By storing power a power station would be able release extra energy when demand is high. By giving power stations the ability to store power it would also allow for stations to buy energy at night when costs are lower and use it during the day when costs are higher. CMU professor Jay Whitacre, who is developing the battery technology says that it would also help if renewable energy sources start to come online because sources such as wind and solar fluctuate in their output and the battery would be able to save the energy to provide a more consistent output.