This solution is suitable for large scale implementation. There are two major reasons why: economy of scale and standard components. Energy Storage tanks do not require advanced or expensive materials, and the system is easy to integrate with existing technology.
New York City has the largest steam network in the world, proving steam to thousands of commercial buildings. The Big Apple has big ambitions to be a sustainable city with renewable energy and is rapidly deploying offshore wind. At the same time regulations hinder to buy or sell from other states, the energy needs to be produced locally. To provide renewable energy steam to the city when needed requires storage. Today there are no good alternatives to store steam, mostly because you need pressurized tanks that are both expensive and require a high level of security. SaltX Energy Storage can be charged with the wind power and release steam at temperatures between 180-250 degrees Celsius.
Europe, California and Australia are frontrunners within renewables and are integrating solar and wind on a large scale. However, a consequence of the increase is a volatility in the net. Today countries like Germany have not yet come to a solution to the problem. Instead, they close down wind farms and pay neighbouring countries to take care of the excess energy. With SaltX Energy Storage it is possible to store valley price electricity and release it during peak hours to high temperature district heating networks across the country or to industries in need of steam.
The energy grid today is not very flexible and unable to take care of the wind energy at all times. As a result thousands of megawatts of produced energy is not being used. This is a common problem in northern China, where they have built large wind farms. In the same region coal plants, which up till now have generated the heating to the population, are closing down. SaltX Energy Storage can store the excess electricity from wind farms and release it as district heating, using the same infrastructure that is already in place.