Generate power under favorable conditions, stable supply by storing electricity
Toward a decarbonized society in 2050, the development of power generation using renewable sources such as solar and wind energy is an urgent issue.
Wide-area power outages caused by typhoons and major earthquakes have recently highlighted the vulnerability of large-scale, centralized power supply systems. People have come to recognize the need to build a disaster-resilient, community-based power supply system using renewable energy. Renewable energy will be the main power source for the coming decarbonized society, and it will also play a leading role in community-based power supply systems.
However, solar and wind power generation depends greatly on the weather. For a stable power supply, it is essential to have a mechanism to temporarily store power when weather conditions are favorable and supply it as needed. A reliable large-capacity power storage system is crucial for adjusting the supply and demand for renewable energy.
The world's first megawatt-class large-capacity power storage
One battery has achieved megawatt-class large-capacity storage for the first time in the world: the NAS battery. NAS batteries have sodium (Na) as the negative electrode and sulfur (S) as the positive electrode, and are repeatedly charged and discharged through a ceramic solid electrolyte.
NAS Battery Cell
NAS batteries have a long life and high energy density, so if they are attached to a mega solar power plant, it will be possible to provide a stable power supply that can last for the service life of the generator.
Large-capacity storage batteries for stabilizing power supply
Renewable energy involves
large output fluctuations
NAS battery charging/discharging to
stabilize power supply
NAS battery enables the local production and consumption of electricity and the demand-supply market response
With the support of NAS batteries, local production and consumption of electricity can be achieved. For example, a local government may establish an electric power company to supply power to the community, or a large-scale factory may produce the power it needs from its own solar generator. Even in remote areas where there is currently no power source, a stable supply of electricity using solar and wind power is no longer a dream.
As a measure to encourage the spread of renewable energy and balance power supply and demand, an electric power supply-demand adjustment market has established in Japan, making it possible to bundle, manage and sell surplus power from small scale power generation. With this opportunity, the need for large-capacity power storage systems will definitely increase, and the use of NAS batteries is likely to become essential.
*NAS and the NAS logo are trademarks of NGK INSULATORS, LTD., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
NAS battery
Writer
Furukori Etsuko
Science and Technology Journalist
Furukori Etsuko graduated from the University of Tokyo with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and liberal arts. While working for a pharmaceutical company, she began writing articles for science magazines and discovered the joy of interviewing researchers and engineers. Since then, she has been writing, researching, planning and editing articles on science, technology and related topics. She is an MIT Science Journalism Fellow and a founding member of Sci-Tech Communications.
