Four ways to store sunlight
Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners, joins Shayle Kann to discuss four primary methods for storing solar energy: lithium-ion batteries, heat storage, iron-air batteries, and hydrogen. Lubershane argues that while lithium-ion dominates short-duration grid balancing, its cost floor limits its viability for long-duration needs, creating opportunities for cheaper alternatives like thermal storage and Form Energy’s iron-air batteries. He also explains how hydrogen can serve as ultra-long-duration storage, particularly through blending into existing gas turbine infrastructure, and notes that carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains a significant competitive alternative for maintaining fossil-fuel-based resilience.