Renewables on Demand - Can Chemistry Store the Wind and Sun?

There is no shortage of renewable energy. But, as we all know, our British weather and changing seasons mean that the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine when we need our energy.

The obvious conundrum is to store that renewable energy in times of plenty and feed it back into the grid in times of penury.

In this talk Dr Kevin West, a consultant in long duration energy storage, with 20 years of industrial experience in a major energy provider, will discuss the many challenges and many solutions to the problem of energy storage and the role of chemistry in storing the wind and sun.

The topics covered will range from the size of the challenge, the transmission of the energy, the role of other decarbonised energy sources and the demand side marketing challenges to smooth out energy demand. The different types of energy storage solutions, existing and future, from chemistry-based battery technologies, to mechanical and thermal ones, will be discussed in terms of their costs, safety, time response, and energy density.

The talk, starting 6pm on Wednesday 7^th October in the Science Room at Burlington House, will be followed by a Q& A session and an opportunity to network with the speaker and the other attendees. There will be a small charge to cover the cost of the meeting and the refreshments.