Status of Energy Storage Technology

This article is reprinted from the April issue of our green investing newsletter, Progressive Investor. To learn about which energy storage stocks to invest in, and to read the rest of the issue, subscribe or just purchase this issue. Batteries, as mundane as they are, are central to the cleantech revolution. Along with emerging technologies such as ultracapacitors and flywheels, batteries are at the heart of energy storage – the ability to store enough energy to power electric transportation and solve the intermittency issues associated with solar and wind. Energy storage is widely viewed as an energy efficiency mega-trend that’s destined to grow to gigantic proportions over the next decades. This critical enabling technology is bringing us plug-in and electric cars and a smart grid based on large scale renewable energy. The market for batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells for transportation and smart grid applications is projected to double from $21.4 billion in 2010 to $44 billion in 2015, according to "Emerging Technologies Power a $44 Billion Opportunity for Transportation and Grid" by Lux Research. Between 2010 -2015: Smart grid technologies are projected to skyrocket from $5.4 billion-$15.8 billion. Electric vehicle storage technology will nearly double from $7.7 billion-$14.5 billion […]

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