Dr. Neeta Nathani

Speaker Biography:

Dr. Neeta Nathani is an Associate Professor in the department of Electronics and Communication Engineering of Gyan Ganga Group of Institutions, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India since 2007. She has completed her Ph.D. in Wireless Communication from RTMNU University, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India which is affiliated to RGPV University, Bhopal. Her main research interests are in the areas of Wireless Communication, Digital Signal Processing and Cognitive Radio. She has participated in various National and International Conferences in India as well as in South Korea and USA. Her Ph.D. research proposal was selected among the best research proposals in two places of India: One in Doctoral Conference, held in Janardan Rai Nagar Vidyapeeth (Deemed) University, in collaboration with CSI and ACM- Udaipur Chapter in 2016; and the other in ACM India Celebration of Women in Computing held in SRM University, Chennai under ACM-W Chennai Chapter in 2017. She has also received Outstanding Paper Award on “Assessment of Quasi- Permanently Vacant Channels in Mobile Communication Bands for Cognitive Radio” in the 15th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Communications Technology (ICACT- 2013), held in Phoenix Park, South Korea. She has been a Reviewer of many Conferences and Journals. She has also been a Session Chair and Program Committee member in many International Conferences. She is a Member in IETE, ACM and CSI.

Talk Title:

Energy storage technologies to tie into the Grid

Talk Abstract:

With renewable energy production on the rise, such as wind and solar, reliable energy storage solutions become a necessity and especially when the resources are running low, pollution is increasing and the climate is changing. Since the discovery of electricity, scientists have sought methods to store that energy when it’s needed on-demand. Over the last century, the storage industry continued to evolve in the 21st century when new technologies have driven that storage to new levels of efficiency. The electrical grid is a complex system that requires power supply and demand to be equal at any given moment, which is why viable storage solutions are emerging to help mitigate that power usage. Constant adjustment to the grid is required to maintain stability, and efficient storage will play a significant role in that critical balancing act, providing more flexibility and reliability to the system. There are some different storage solutions that have been developed over the last few years that can be incorporated into the grid no matter the power or energy requirements from generation to consumer end use. There are many current trending energy storage options that can be implemented into the grid like Redox flow battery, Flywheel energy storage, Compressed air energy storage, Thermal energy storage, Pumped hydroelectric storage, etc.

• Redox flow batteries (fuel cell) replace solid electrodes with energy-dense electrolytic compounds (hydrogen-lithium bromate, bromine-hydrogen, organic, etc.) separated by a membrane that charge and discharge as the liquids circulate in their own respective space. Ion exchange occurs through the membrane separator when the electrolytes undergo reduction and oxidation (redox) and in turn can store large amounts of energy, perfect for tying into the grid.
• Flywheel energy storage functions by accelerating a rotor to high speed and maintaining the power as rotating energy. When that energy is drawn from the system, the flywheel rotational speed is reduced and accelerated when energy is reintroduced.
• Compressed air energy storage (CAES) plants are similar to pumped hydro power plants; only instead of pumping water from a lower to an upper pond, ambient air is compressed and stored under pressure in underground caverns to store energy. When that energy is required, the pressurized air is heated and expanded in a turbine, thus driving a generator for power production.
• Different types of thermal energy storage include latent energy storage and thermal-chemical. However, sensible storage is the most used and often paired with solar power plants. A sensible heat system uses a liquid or solid medium: Water, sand, rocks or molten salt are either heated or cooled to store collected energy.
• Pumped hydroelectric storage stores energy using water contained in an upper reservoir that is electrically pumped from a lower reservoir. During peak electrical demand, additional power is produced by releasing the stored water through turbines in the same manner as a traditional hydroelectric dam. When the need for energy is reduced, the water is then transferred back up into the higher reservoir usually by the same turbines, which can act as both pump and generator.

According to a Deloitte report on electrical storage technologies, “The acceleration of new technologies, changing consumer expectations and behaviors, and the structural evolution of the electricity generation and delivery system over the past decade is providing fertile ground for the emergence of maturing electricity storage technologies as key components of the new landscape in electric power.” With that being said, energy storage is expensive, especially when policies mitigating its use do not place a monetary value on their benefits. This notion is likely to change as more projects and feasibility studies have taken place over the last several years, especially in conjunction with renewable energy sources. With the support of government and industry initiatives, energy storage can continue to be developed, expanded, and aid in the deployment of the continually growing renewable energy sector, as well as traditional fossil fuel-burning power plants.

Keywords:

Storage solutions, Batteries, Compressed Air Energy Storage, Flywheels.