Crucial Role of Energy Storage in the Use of Renewable Energy

In recent years, in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change, a lot of renewable energies (e.g., wind and solar energy) are being used. Nevertheless, exploitation of renewable energy sources, even when there is a good potential resource, may be problematic due to their variable and intermittent nature. At present, energy storage is a feasible way to solve such difficult problem. In this paper, we first discuss the purpose as well as the main types of energy storage, then some advantages of utilizing the thermal and electrical energy storage are reviewed with emphasizing their vital role in promoting the large-scale utilization of renewable energy. Finally, some future research and development demands are pointed out.