These giant batteries store energy, but not as electricity
Wind and solar generate cheap, clean power, but not always when it's needed most. So storing energy is an important part of a low-carbon grid — and storing it as heat can be cheaper, safer and more convenient than storing it in traditional batteries.
![These giant batteries store energy, but not as electricity](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7164438.1712315058!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/germany-heat-storage.jpg)
![A vast thermal tank to store hot water is pictured in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 30, 2022. Power provider Vattenfall unveiled a new facility in Berlin on Thursday that turns solar and wind energy into heat, which can be stored in a vast thermal tank and released into the German capital's grid as needed, smoothing out the fluctuating supply problem of renewables. A huge, multi-story cylinder sits in scaffolding with a crane in the foreground, dwarfing shipping containers around it.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7164438.1712315058!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/germany-heat-storage.jpg)
Wind and solar generate cheap, clean power, but not always when it's needed most. So storing energy is an important part of a low-carbon grid — and storing it as heat can be cheaper, safer and more convenient than storing it in traditional batteries.