Research institutes hope to convert coal power plants into huge energy storage facilities

The German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Stuttgart University aim to store renewable power in the form of heat on a “power plant scale,” reports Sandra Enkhardt in pv magazine. The institutes agreed to build the joint research facility “Nadine” - short for “National Demonstrator for Isentropic Energy Storage.” “Efficient storage can ensure a reliable energy supply with an ever-increasing share of renewable energies,” said Pascale Ehrenfreund, chair of the DLR Executive Board. “Furthermore, large heat storage units can also help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants worldwide by converting them into power plants with heat storage." The researchers said they will focus on “Carnot batteries” that use heat pumps to convert power into heat, which can be stored and later used to generate electricity again with an efficiency of up to 70 percent, according to the article.

Find the article in German here.

Find a DLR press release in English here.

For plenty of background, read our brand new dossier Electricity storage is next feat for Germany’s energy transition.