Energy Storage Systems

Abstract

With the need for an uninterrupted electricity supply and portability, energy storage has become one of the most important requisites of the current century. This chapter aims to present an overview of different energy storage systems which are an integral part of the world’s energy sector. Several energy storage systems, such as thermal, mechanical, electromagnetic, electrochemical, etc., have emerged over the last century. Electrochemical energy storage such as supercapacitors and batteries have emerged as the strongest candidates with the advantages of a lightweight, high energy and power density, high reversibility, and long cycle life over other energy storage systems. Supercapacitors are being used to fulfill the need for high-power devices with the advantages of a fast dis/charge process. Batteries, in particular lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), have emerged as enormous storage for portable electronics devices. LIBs have the advantages of being lightweight, high energy and power density, long cycle life, and high reversibility compared to other batteries such as Ni-Cd, Pb-acid, and Ni-MH. The development of Ni-rich layered cathodes has paved the way for LIBs in plug-in electric vehicles and battery vehicles. Sodium-, zinc-, potassium-, magnesium-ion batteries, and redox flow batteries have also emerged as strong candidates for the large-scale energy storage system.