Carbone R. (Ed.) Energy Storage in the Emerging Era of Smart Grids

InTech, Rijeka, Croatia, 2011. – 492 p. – ISBN: 978-953-307-269-2Traditional electrical power systems were essentially based on centralized and fuel consuming power generation plants, where end-users were supplied via unidirectional transmission and distribution grids.
The increasing demand for electrical energy and, at the same time, the need for reducing CO₂ emissions are now changing these strongholds, and power systems are more and more integrated by “distributed generation” (DG), that is to say small and medium size generator plants managed by end-users (now called “prosumers”, to underline that they are both consumers and producers) and essentially based on renewables.
In order not to compromise reliability and quality of the supply, modern power systems now have to become “smarter”, for properly managing power, received both from centralized and distributed sources; of course, this could be accomplished by means of sophisticated control and communication technologies but, in our opinion, energy-storage systems can also have a central role.
In fact, electricity generated from renewables by distributed plants, unlike to that generated by fuel consuming centralized plants, is highly “intermittent” and this worsens the problem of optimally matching electricity availability with electricity demand of end-users.
Without solving this problem, reliability, quality and stability of modern power system are seriously compromised.Energy Storage Systems
Electrochemical Energy Storage
Supercapacitor-Based Electrical Energy Storage System
Rotor Design for High-Speed Flywheel Energy Storage Systems
An Application of Genetic Fuzzy Systems to the Operation Planning of Hydrothermal Systems
Lightning Energy: A Lab Scale System
Fabrication and Characterization of MicroPCMs
Energy Storage and Transduction in Mitochondria
Technologies for Improving Energy Storage Systems
Bidirectional DC - DC Converters for Energy Storage Systems
Bi-Directional DC - DC Converters for Battery Buffers with Supercapacitor
Bio-Inspired Synthesis of Electrode Materials for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries
Thioether Bond Containing Polymers as Novel Cathode Active Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries
Nanostructured MnO₂ for Electrochemical Capacitor
High Temperature PEM Fuel Cells Based on Nafion /SiO₂ Composite Membrane
Practical Applications of Energy Storage
Energy Storage for Balancing a Local Distribution Network Area
Sizing and Management of Energy Atorage for a 100% Renewable Supply in Large Electric Systems
Complementary Control of Intermittently Operating Renewable Sources with Short-
and Long-Term Storage Plants
Practical Application of Electrical Energy Storage System in Industry
Predictive Optimal Matrix Converter Control for a Dynamic Voltage Restorer with Flywheel Energy Storage
Unified Power Flow Controllers Without Energy Storage: Designing Power Controllers
for the Matrix Converter Solution
The Benefits of Device Level Short Term Energy Storage in Ocean Wave Energy Converters
A New On-Board Energy Storage System for the Rolling Stock