Long-Term Storage Needs, ‘Green Gases,’ and the Energy Transition (Todd Davidson, University of Texas Energy Institute)

“There are times when it is really not windy, or is cloudy, for days or weeks on end.  If you shift to a high renewable world and have one of these weather patterns, I am not sure lithium-ion batteries are not the right solution for this kind of grid-scale storage. One of the potential other solutions is ‘power-to-gas’ (P2G). P2G is less energy-efficient than a battery. But when you start to talk about decarbonizing other sectors of the economy, P2G may be a potential solution there.”

“If you want 100% wind, water and solar, we’re going to need a lot of storage. And that storage is going to be very expensive.” If we can get creative and figure out how to leverage the existing natural gas infrastructure to distribute hydrogen or renewable methane, now we’re on to something. At least it needs to be part of the conversation.”

Todd Davidson is a Research Associate in the Energy Institute and the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin. Todd’s research is focused on a variety of topics at the confluence of energy technology and economics. Prior to joining UT Austin, Todd was the CEO of nCarbon, Inc., a company focused on the commercialization of advanced supercapacitor electrodes. Todd started his career working for Raytheon where he helped to design and deploy four different missile defense product lines.  He received a BS in Engineering Science from Trinity University and an MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin.