Sustainable energy is one of the buzz words that is constantly thrown around at major international forums. However, this is no longer a political issue that gives politicians talking points, there is a real and urgent need for the world to move to renewable sources. That’s because, the climate is changing at an exponential rate and it is threatening the livelihoods of millions of people across the world. Right now smoke from fires has significantly increased the levels of toxicity in Sidney, Australia and is a threat to the city’s outdoor lifestyle. Across the planet in California, forest fires continue to destroy millions of dollars’ worth of property every year. These and many other cases cement the case for an urgent need to shift to sustainable energy. One way that society can make use of renewable energy is by making use of vacuum pump technology. For anyone looking to make the planet a better place for future generations, here is how vacuum pump suppliers can help generate sustainable power.
The background on sustainability issues
Over the past few decades, the world has made a shift towards renewable energy sources, and one of them is hydroelectric power. However, even with hydro-electric power, there are significant sustainability-related issues. One of them is to do with matching demand and supply. For the grid to operate optimally, then the demand and supply of electricity have to match up. In times when the demand is lower than the supply, the excess is usually released by pushing the water back into the river. However, this is a costly process, and in the long run, with ever-increasing imbalances between demand and supply, it is not sustainable.
Storing excess electricity for sustainability
One of the most powerful and practical ways to generate hydro-power sustainably is to store it. Storing excess energy ensures that it is available in times of high supply for release to the grid when demand peaks. This eliminates the costs of having to generate electricity from scratch whenever there is a sudden increase in demand. One way to store electricity from renewable sources such as wind and water is by using vacuum pump technology. Power storage from vacuum pumps is catching on as one of the best ways to store electricity, and for good reason. It is cheap, and the mechanism is pretty simple.
The vacuum pump working mechanism
The process is premised on the very straightforward vacuum pump technology. Vacuum pumps work by getting rid of air molecules from the vacuum chamber. In cases where the vacuum pumps are connected in a series for large scale production, the vacuum pumps work by removing gas molecules through the outlet chamber of the vacuum pumps.
Getting rid of gas molecules in vacuum chambers is tough, and as a result, they are operated over a wide pressure range. It operates in a state of equilibrium between gas transfer/displacement and capture. This process helps in energy storage, and whenever the energy is needed, it can be generated through the simple process of kinetic and positive displacement, to alter the existing equilibrium. It is a cost-effective process that ensures that energy is always available when it is needed. For instance, the entire vacuum pump process, even when done at scale, is much cheaper than the process of pumping water back into rivers just to try and get rid of excess energy from the grid.
Benefits of vacuum pump power storage
Besides the cost aspect of it, there are several other benefits of using vacuum pump technology in energy storage. One of these benefits is predictability. Both wind and hydro-electricity power are based on factors linked to weather patterns. For instance, prolonged droughts would mean that river volumes can decline significantly. The effect would be that, the amount of power generated can fluctuate as well. By extension, this can lead to an increase in the cost of power generation. These are issues that can be solved by storing energy using vacuum pump technology. Irrespective of changes in weather changes, there would be a guarantee that electricity supply would always match demand.
The ripple effect of this on the economy is huge. For instance, it makes it easier for businesses to better predict their power bills. This is a benefit that can be passed on to consumers. On top of that, power predictability can be an amazing way to draw in investors who help increase taxes collected, and also create more jobs for locals. The simple vacuum pump technology can alter power generation and distribution for the better.
