Batteries To Store Wind Energy 275
Roland Piquepaille writes "Scientific American reports that Xcel Energy, a Minneapolis-based utility company, has started to test a new technology to store wind energy in batteries. The company is currently trying it in a 1,100 megawatt facility of wind turbines in Southern Minnesota. The company started this effort because 'the wind doesn't always blow and, even worse, it often blows strongest when people aren't using much electricity, like late at night.' It has received a $1 million grant from Minnesota's Renewable Development Fund and the energy plant should be operational (PDF) in the first quarter of 2009. If this project is successful, the utility expects to deploy many more energy plants before 2020 to avoid more polluting energy sources."
What sort of Batteries? (Score:3, Funny)
I hope it's not 9 volt. Those are hard to find.
Re:Gasp! (Score:3, Funny)
Some sort of cylindrical container for holding liquids one intends to imbibe?
You'd better patent that before someone else does.
1,100 Megawatts? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:as a sailor (Score:4, Funny)
Re:God damnit! (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, but the comments here don't make me want to kill people.
Re:Seems silly to use this. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:a dam sounds like a pretty good battery to me (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Seems silly to use this. (Score:3, Funny)
Why are more utilitys not using something like what beacon power is doing.
I read that as "bacon power" and I just imagined the greasiest power plant ever.