Are Longyearbyen and Svalbard facing an energy transition?

Top image: Longyearbyen and Svalbard are facing an energy transition. This is the background for the cooperation agreement between UNIS, Store Norske and SINTEF. Photo: Graham Gilbert/UNIS. Longyearbyen and Svalbard are facing a huge energy transition.

What is Unis & Svalbard Energi doing in the Arctic?

The energy company is collaborating with the University of Svalbard (UNIS) and Svalbard Energi in the testing of hybrid renewable energy, battery storage, and diesel generator systems, with a plan to implement them in many of the 1,500 Arctic communities that are off-grid and currently use coal or diesel as an energy source.

Are massive battery banks a good idea?

Massive battery banks are one answer. But they’re expensive and best at storing energy for a few hours, not for days long stretches of cloudy weather or calm. Another strategy is to use surplus energy to heat a large mass of material to ultrahigh temperatures, then tap the energy as needed.

Are battery banks a good idea for a greener electrical grid?

That’s one of the most vexing questions standing in the way of a greener electrical grid. Massive battery banks are one answer. But they’re expensive and best at storing energy for a few hours, not for days long stretches of cloudy weather or calm.

Should you go solar with a battery storage system?

To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar.

Can a battery store electricity for $10 a kilowatt hour?

Lenert and others are eyeing their own startups. And Henry recently launched a venture—Thermal Battery Corp.—to commercialize his group’s technology, which he estimates could store electricity for $10 per kilowatt-hour of capacity, less than one-tenth the cost of grid-scale lithium-ion batteries.