A range of energy storage options is becoming increasingly available to respond to the growing share of renewables on the grid. But batteries alone may not address all of the potential needs for power reliability - particularly as peak demand calls for power often at the times that renewables are least able to respond.
Enter Hydrostor: a Canadian startup that has launched the world's first underwater compressed-air energy storage solution.
Just last week, Hydrostor brought online a grid-connected, 1MW system using inflatable balloons positioned 180 feet below the surface of Toronto's Lake Ontario. The system - capable of holding enough energy to power 330 homes - will be operated by Toronto Hydro. The utility intends to use the Hydrostor system to store electricity during off-peak hours and then tap into it as demand grows. Read more >