Can Solar Power Be Stored?
Sep 26, 2023 7:01 am
Can Solar Power Be Stored?
1 min read
South Africa had 1 329 MW of solar energy installed in 2016, 2 559 in 2018 and is expected to accumulate 8 400 MW by 2030. It is no doubt that solar energy is seeing a significant rise in popularity in South Africa and that it is the best solution to South Africa’s energy crisis, but can we store this large number of MW being produced?
The short answer is yes. Solar energy can be and is often stored in battery packs for later use. This includes nighttime, snowy weather, rainy weather, overcast skies and foggy weather, or even when things like dust, dirt or shadows are blocking the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.
Solar PV systems have lithium-ion batteries that store energy by keeping the heat energy from the sun, which is harnessed through the solar panels. The batteries then discharge the energy to be used as electricity when needed.
In addition to trapping heat energy from the sun, solar energy can be stored by the process of thermal mass where thermal energy from the sun heats solar fluids in the solar collector cells, which (fluids) then move into a heat exchanger in water tanks, swimming pools or solar geysers to heat the water.
For more information on solar energy storage, or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9AM CAT.
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