Batteries and ultra-capacitors for smart power grid - market opportunities 2009-2016

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Batteries and Ultra-Capacitors for the Smart Power Grid: Market Opportunities 2009-2016" report to its offering.

While the current electrical grid is a modern marvel, the smart grid of the future will include significant electrical storage as part of the solution to increase the grids efficiency, enhance reliability, and help reduce the environmental impact of supplying the electrical power needs of modern society.

As a result, NanoMarkets believes chemical batteries, ultra-capacitors, and the materials from which they are built represent an exciting business opportunity that is poised to take off in the near future. This report is designed to quantify that opportunity and identify the best strategies to capitalize on it.

By 2016, there will be 33 GW of generating capacity on the grid from solar panels and wind farms that can swing wildly in their ability to generate electrical power at any given time. Electrical storage will be a requirement to level the load when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow in a predictable manner.

In addition to load leveling, grid storage will allow peak shaving where stored electricity from non peak demand periods can be used during peak load times. Peak shaving can reduce the need for new power plants and reduce the grids overall carbon footprint.

Chemical batteries and ultra-capacitors represent complimentary pieces of the smart grid storage equation with ultra-capacitors used for smoothing short term disruptions in power quality and batteries storing current for longer term load leveling and peak shaving applications.

While other technologies such as hydro and compressed air storage will certainly be integral parts to the overall storage solution, batteries and ultra-capacitor storage represent a large attractive near term materials growth sector.

This new market study of materials for chemical batteries and ultra-capacitors for smart grid applications surveys and analyzes the markets for the various battery and ultra-capacitor types currently in use and about to enter service in smart grid applications as well as R&D developments, including those related to systems.

As with all NanoMarkets reports, this report includes a detailed eight year forecast of materials for smart grid storage applications and an in-depth discussion of key firms active in the area.