Energy Storage

As we transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar to reduce CO₂ emissions, our generation of electricity becomes more variable creating an imbalance between demand and supply. This can create supply disruption issues and increased energy costs.

One solution to this imbalance is energy storage, and there are a wide variety of solutions where this energy is held in batteries for the short term or for the longer term it is converted into physical storage e.g. molten salt (MSES), compressed air (CAES), liquid air (LAES) or compressed hydrogen that can be released later and converted back into electricity.

SSS Clutches are often a crucial part of these long duration energy storage (LDES) solutions and the original CAES systems built in late 1970s have been successfully using SSS Clutches for over 50 years.

The SSS Clutch design allows the automatic connection and disconnection of the motor / generator from the prime mover. This enables the system to switch between energy storage mode and power generation mode while all the time keeping the generator synchronised to the grid providing reactive power and rotating inertia for grid stability.