Data Sheet
BATTERIES
Electrical energy can be easily converted into other
forms (which is why it is often used for transporting
energy), but it’s hard to store. A baery produces
electrical energy, but it is stored in the form of
chemical energy (meaning that the acid inside the
baery undergoes a change in order to release
electrical energy).
If a baery is capable of being recharged, it may be
called a rechargeable baery or an accumulator.
Large rechargeable baeries are an important
component in electric cars.
Forms of energy storage
Energy can be stored in many ways, but
only a few of them are effective or
efficient.
Pumped storage
One way to store mechanical energy on a large
scale is in a pumped storage power plant. These
pump water up to a reservoir so the water “stores”
more potential energy. When needed, the water is
released through penstocks or sluice pipes, thus
converting the potential energy into kinetic
energy. Turbines are then used to convert the
kinetic energy into electrical energy.
The largest pumped storage power station in
the world is in Bath County, Virginia. With a
generation capacity of over 3,000 megawas,
it is sometimes called the “largest baery in
the world.” By comparison, the largest nuclear
power plant in the U.S., Palo Verde in Arizona,
uses three reactors for a total capacity of 3,937
megawas. But that plant is only designed to
produce energy, not to store it.
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CHECK IT OUT
Pumped storage power
station in Austria