Underground pumped hydro storage is the only technology capable of massive storage for renewable electricity

energy storage system power ratings

FIGURE 3. Ragone diagram of the discharge time at rated power (a factor in energy storage) vs. system power rating for a number of different electricity storage technologies; it is similar to many others that can be found on the Web. This one, ascribed to Nobelist Steven Chu and available at http://energy.wesrch.com/wiki-511-energy-storage-is-critical-to-grid-operations, has been augmented to include: (i) gravity storage; and (ii) stable synthetic chemicals (e.g., hydrogen gas, methane, or ammonia) that can be manipulated to produce mechanical energy. The maximum rates of charging and discharging of a storage module need not necessarily be the same.

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