Energy Storage Technologies - From Chemistry to Engineering

In this chapter we will cover concepts about energy storage and discuss photosynthesis as the most important natural way of storing energy.

This chapter covers the concept of fossil fuels, how they are made and their role in the natural carbon cycle.

Here we will cover why we need Energy Storage Technologies, discuss the concept of residual load and how to minimize it.

You will learn about the key concept behind energy storage technologies as well the how energy can be transferred between different sectors using these technologies.

The section covers different classifications of Energy Storage Technologies and introduces the main physical classes.

This section will cover key characterization parameters for Energy Storage Technologies and introduce into the temporal classification.

We will discuss the temporal and economic classification of Energy Storage Technologies. Also we will discuss which technology is "the best".

Introduction into the simplified and general physics behind plate capacitors.

Energy storage in electrical capacitors and how to maximize it.

Working principle of a capacitors, about Helmholz-Layers and the Diffuse Layer

Schematic discussion of the charged and discharged state of a double-layer capacitor.

Origin the effect of Pseudocapacitance and how to maximize it.

Physical discussion of the charging and discharging process with a focus on the evolution of voltage and current.

Continuation of the topics of the previous video on the charging and discharging process.

Origin and effects of losses, limited efficiency and ageing in (Super)capacitors.

Application range of Supercapacitors and a comparison to Li-ion batteries. Distinction between Energy and Power Storage.

Application fields of Supercapacitors with selected examples: Wind turbines and regenerative breaking.

In this section we will cover the basics of redox reactions to understand the chemical perspective of Batteries better.

We will talk about what makes a chemical reaction voluntary/involuntary and how it is connected to the voltage.

The Nernst equation will be discussed to understand the influence of concentration on the cell potential.

You will learn about the important of current and capacity in electrochemical storage and how they are connected.

We will cover key characterization parameters do describe the performance of batteries.

This section covers typical charge and discharge characteristics when analyzing batteries.

You will learn about the difference between primary and secondary batteries and about their unique characteristics.

This section will cover a generalized setup of a electrochemical storage system.

We will discuss commonly occurring losses in all battery systems with a focus on activation polarization and ohmic resistances.

We will discuss commonly occurring losses in all battery systems with a focus on concentration polarization.

You will learn about general characteristics of lead-acid batteries.

We will dive into the chemical processes happening in a lead-acid battery and going though them step by step.

The idealized reactions are actually accompanied by various side-reactions leading to the capacity impairments. These we will analyze in more detail here.

In this section we will assess various influences on the service life of lead-acid batteries.

We will discuss basics of Li-ion batteries such as choice of components and key aspects around this technology.

You'll gain insight in the chemical reactions behind this technology as well as the operational principle of an intercalation electrode.

We will discuss why dendritic growth and other factors make the use of actual Li-metal in batteries very challenging.

You will learn about commercial electrode materials and how they are different from one another.

This section will teach you about various electrode requirements which need to be considered in material development.

We will cover various requirements around the electrolyte system and learn why it is the major limitation for high-voltage batteries.

We discuss the function of the separator and unravel research challenges around this cell part.

Having a look at commercial cells, we will cover key characteristics of cylindrical cells and coin cells.

Having a look at commercial cells, we will cover key characteristics of prismatic cells and pouch cells.

This section will cover various safety aspects of Li-ion batteries and how they can lead up to a critical failure.

We will discuss the effect of discharge speed and temperature on the performance of the battery with a focus on voltage and capacity.

Various internal and external factors influence the ageing and degradation of Li-ion batteries. Here we will cover and discuss them in more detail.

We will have a brief look into the cost distribution of a commercial EV battery cell and see which component is the most cost intense.

Final conclusions and a brief comparison of battery systems to see if there is a "best system".

We will cover what are the requirements to talk about carbon neutral chemical fuels.

This section will cover various aspects of using hydrogen for energy strorage.

You will learn about various industrial processes of how to produce hydrogen electric, thermal or electromagnetic energy.

We will look at the reactions behind Steam Reforming, Gasification and Thermochemical Water Splitting.

This section briefly introduces how hydrogen can be produces via photolytic and electrolytic processes.

In this chapter we will briefly introduce the concept behind electrolysis and fuel cells before diving into greater detail later on.

This section discusses the thermodynamic background of electrolytic water splitting.

You will learn about the pH dependency of the anodic and cathodic half reaction and how they affect the overall reaction potential.

We will have a more focused look on kinetics and the burdens which affect the practical application of electrolysis.

This chapter looks on kinetics and how to remediate the losses which arise due to kinetic effects.

We will have a more detailed look into various aspects around AEM and a typical setup of an AEM electrolyzer.

We will have a more detailed look into various aspects around PEM and a typical setup of an PEM electrolyzer.

We will have a more detailed look into various aspects around HTESand a typical setup of an HTES electrolyzer.

You will learn about how Electrolyzers and Fuel Cells can operate the same reaction in different directions.

We will discuss a generic Fuel Cell setup and various types of Fuel Cell systems.

This chapter will introduce you to advantages and disadvantages of using methane as a chemical energy carrier and unveil the elementary reactions to produce it from hydrogen via chemical methanation.

Here we will discover various advantages and disadvantages connected to biological methanation.

We will cover the chemical reactions of how to produce methanol as well as considerations from chemical engineering to improve the yield.

This chapter will introduce you into the purpose and some general aspects around the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process.

Here we introduce different storage types for gaseous components.

This section covers various points and requirements around underground facilities to store gaseous chemicals.

We will cover various aspects around liquid and solid media storage for chemical energy carriers.

This chapter will briefly cover elemental basics around hydrogen storage chemically, via liquification or as a gas.

Concept of pressure as the principle of Gaseous Energy Storage and categorization of such technologies.

Operation principle, parameters and setup of Diabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage.

Operation principle, parameters and setup of Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage.

Operation principle, parameters and setup of Isothermal Compressed Air Energy Storage.

Operation principle, parameters and setup of Liquid Air Energy Storage.

Advantages and disadvantages of above-ground and underground storage facilities for compressed air.

Physical principle and influence parameters of liquid media storage in the form of hydropower.

Storage facilities for primary and secondary Energy Storage.

Sources of loss during the Energy Storage with liquid media and real world examples of corresponding facilities.

Advantages regarding the construction and operation of Mechanical Energy Storage using liquid media.

Physical principle of solid media Mechanical Energy Storage with a focus on Flywheels.

Concept of Flywheels, influencing parameters and modern setups.

Sources of energy loss in Flywheel Energy Storage and examples of applications from automotive, space and grid stabilization.

Concluding remarks on the advantages and disadvantages of using Flywheels a means of energy/power storage.

We will discuss the principle of charge/storage/discharge of Thermal Energy storage and different ways of categorizing the individual methods.

Discussion of convection, heat radiation and heat conduction.

The principle of Sensible Thermal Storage and possible materials are discussed.

We cover the principle of Latent Thermal Storage and focus on distinct differences to pure Sensible Thermal Storage.

The concept of Thermochemical Storage will be explained and how it is different to the other storage technologies presented in this chapter.

We will focus on different types of Thermochemical Storage reactions including chemically reversible reactions, adsorption and absorption.

We will discuss the material requirements for Thermal Energy Storage and its associated cost.

In this chapter we will draw a final conclusion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of individual energy storage technologies.