How heat can be used to store renewable energy

        February 25, 2020 The Conversation | Global | renewables: storage

Solar plants can store energy when the sun isn’t shining (or wind farms when calm). Batteries are expensive and pumped storage hydro geographically constrained. Pumped thermal electricity storage systems turn electricity into heat, stored in water or gravel in onsite insulated tanks. The heat is reconverted as needed into electricity using a heat engine.