A variety of energy storage systems can be used to help improve power system reliability by balancing utility grids and electricity distribution or smoothing the integration of renewable energy from sun, wind and hydro power. Energy storage systems may include lithium-ion battery banks used with photovoltaic solar arrays, tanks of molten salt that store heat from concentrating solar (CSP), or pumped storage hydropower systems (PSH) used in conjunction with wind and solar photovoltaic farms.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) provides energy storage solutions for the automotive, utilities and power generation industries with science and engineering services ranging from materials engineering and battery testing to site evaluation, feasibility studies, preliminary design, systems integration and software development.
Battery Energy Storage
SwRI’s Energy Storage Technology Center provides the automotive and power generation industries with electrochemical energy storage and engineering expertise to research, develop and evaluate batteries, battery chemistries, battery cells and battery packs used in EVs and grid storage applications.
- Battery Abuse & Safety Testing Laboratory
- Battery Testing & Research
- Battery Development
- Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for Electric Grid Joint Industry Program
- Battery Technology
- Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Battery Testing Laboratory
- Electric Vehicle Battery & Electric Car Research
- Energy Storage System Development
- Electrified Vehicle and Energy Storage Evaluation (EVESE)
- Energy Storage Technology Center
Non-Battery Energy Storage
Institute engineers are developing several innovative technologies and applications for energy storage beyond the use of electrochemical batteries, including:
- Advanced Power Systems
- Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Energy Storage
- Fuel Cell Testing & Research
- Hydrogen Energy Research
- Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
- Mechanical Energy Storage
- Thermal Energy Storage
- Thermal, Mechanical & Chemical Energy Storage