Author(s) :

Johnson Ye.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Decarbonizing the electrical grid through large-scale implementation of solar energy can address both climate change concerns and the growing global energy demand. While solar energy is abundant, effective storage remains a major challenge due to environmental and integration constraints. If solar energy can be efficiently stored on a large scale, it could provide a sustainable solution to humanity’s energy and climate crisis. This article systematically compares six major solar energy storage methods, lithium-ion batteries, redox flow batteries, compressed air energy storage, thermal energy storage, hydrogen energy storage, and pumped-hydro energy storage, to determine which is most suitable for large-scale integration with solar energy systems. For each method, the principles, advantages, disadvantages, and future potential are analyzed to evaluate their feasibility for global application. Pumped-hydro energy storage is shown to be the most promising among the methods discussed.