Energy Storage Innovation

With the emergence of electric cars, much attention is being focused on battery innovation. And yet there are many other innovative energy storage technologies which have better performance than batteries, especially at small to medium (microgrid) scale and at large grid scale. Here are some of those, at various levels of innovation and commercialization.

Gravity Energy Storage

Pumped hydro, a long established energy storage technology

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms_Pumped_Storage_Plant

Gravity Power

• http://www.gravitypower.net/

Advanced Rail Energy Storage (ARES), "Gravity Train"

• http://www.aresnorthamerica.com/

Compressed Air Energy Storage

LightSail

• http://www.lightsail.com/

Underwater Compressed Air

• http://www.hydrostor.ca/  

Closed Cycle Heat engines

Isentropic, hot rocks

• http://www.isentropic.co.uk/ 

TerraJoule, hot water

• http://www.Terrajoulecorp.com/