We have a fundamental flaw in our thinking

When we think about traditional power plants we tend to think of them like a pipe or a hose. So long as the fuel valve is on, the hose keeps putting out electricity.

With storage if we are not paying careful attention we treat it like a hose too, except it is not. It is a bucket that will hold so much energy, first we have to use a hose to fill it (not too much or it will spill), and then we can dip energy out of that bucket and use it until the bucket is empty. Then we need to use the hose again to fill it.

Too many people think of energy storage as a hose (at least in their head) which leads to making mistakes about how and when to use storage.

I am not sure what the analogy is variable sources of energy yet, but it is not a hose either. Maybe someone smarter than I will figure that one out. I have been using the hose/bucket analogy in my storage classes and watching the lights go on as people start to re-think how they are planning to use storage.

OBTW and at least most storage is not a water balloon! 😎