Renewable energies are effectively replacing fossil fuels. But one of the main challenges with renewable energies is that they need to be backed up by storage systems. This is to provide backup for times when the Sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.
Now Dutch startup Ocean Grazer has developed an underwater system to store energy
They called it Ocean Battery. Researchers plan to install this ocean battery on the seabed near offshore renewable energy generators, like wind turbines, floating solar farms, and systems that use tidal power.
Ocean Grazer has recently launched Ocean Battery at CES 2022. The function of this energy storage system is similar to that of a hydro dam.
A concrete reservoir with a capacity of up to 20 million liters (5.3 million gals) of freshwater stored at low pressure is buried in the seabed. “Ocean battery” relies on huge flexible bladders on the seabed. Pumps and turbines connect the reservoir to a flexible bladder. In the case of the generation of excess electricity from renewable sources, the excess electricity is used to pump water from the reservoir into the bladder.
In case of scarcity of electricity, the pressure of the ocean squeezes the water through the system on the seafloor. Hence electricity is generated.
Ocean batteries can also be deployed in existing and new offshore wind farms. Moreover, it can also help in reducing local peak loads by optimally matching supply and demand.
