Files
Download Full Text (1.1 MB)
Contributor
: Sigrid Greene; Patrick Greene; Christopher Rightsell
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Publication Date
Spring 2025
Keywords
renewable resources; lithium; battery; environment
Description
In the past, and even today, Texas is known for its oil rigs and non-renewable energy sources, but it has also become a pillar for solar and wind turbine created power. As of late, the usage of these kinds of renewable resources has become essential to keep Texas as efficient as we once were in an ever growing world, where more people need more energy. However, a caveat concerning renewable energy resources is how available they are. At first, this unfamiliar territory led to people doubting its productivity when there was a lack of wind or sunshine. The solution to this: lithium ion batteries. These are considered “smart” batteries and have the ability to store energy for later use when these resources are not readily available.
Before the use of these lithium-ion batteries, renewable energy systems and resources would use things like compressed air, mechanical gravity storage, and flow batteries, to keep energy during no peak times.Initially, lithium-ion batteries and their storage abilities can be costly to set up and maintain. There is also concern for lithium, which is a metal that comes from earth , to continue to work long term. These resources can sometimes affect the environment negatively. However, this advancement in technology allows for efficiency and can take the burden off of non-renewable resources and, comparatively, affects the environment less than drilling. The battery is efficient because it is run by software. The utilization of these batteries reduces dependency on the grid during peak hours and can save customers significant amounts of money. The U.S. remains behind compared to other countries,, but Texas stays at the forefront.
Format
Size
1 Page
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Life Sciences Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Sustainability Commons
