Scientists at Newcastle University's Sir Joseph Swan Centre for Energy Research have developed the world's first functioning grid-scale pumped heat energy storage system. The system uses a combination of molten salt and liquid helium, which is heated to high temperatures in an external tank before being circulated through a turbine generator. The team said it can switch between discharge and charge, and has achieved a consistent efficiency of between 60% and 65%, making it the lowest-cost and most flexible grid-scale energy storage technology to date.
Scientists at Newcastle University's Sir Joseph Swan Centre for Energy Research have developed the world's first functioning grid-scale pumped heat energy storage system. The team's design, which has a rating of 150 kW and can store up to 600 kWh of electricity, heats and cools argon being transferred between two tanks containing gravel. The team said it can switch between discharge and charge, and has achieved a consistent efficiency of between 60% and 65%, making it the lowest-cost and most flexible grid-scale energy storage technology to date.