The problem of storing electricity for future use persists
Engineering a means to effectively store electricity is not a new problem. We do have a meager means of storing electric power for our grid but they are “electrically driven mechanical processes that can be reversed to regenerate an electric current and these options are all limited by topography rather than technology”.
A more efficient way to store energy is becoming increasingly necessary.
Besides the age-long issue of storage, there is a present-day problem, as the grid, built centuries ago is growing old. The infrastructure is aging such that minor errors will have consequences as swift and grave as the ones that result from blackouts.
In 2003, a malfunction in the grid caused a blackout that affected not only half of eastern America but also some parts of Canada. 50 million people were left without electric power for 2 days. This crisis caused $6 billion in lost business revenues.
To a few, the most important goal in electricity should be to come up with a new way to generate it. However, the most technical goal in the power industry is finding an effective way to store electricity.
Batteries are power-storage options but they scarcely have enough capacity to withstand an infrastructure as huge as the grid.