The charge of the light brigade

Soaring energy bills rooted in a global gas supply crunch have focused minds on the age-old problem: how can we store power better? In the UK, attention has turned to the closure of the Rough gas storage facility in the North Sea in 2017, which left the country with only enough storage to meet the demand of four to five winter days.

But while gas is being phased out, the growing reliance of many nations on renewables does not solve the problem of intermittency – what happens when the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine.

The key to securing enough affordable, low-carbon energy is more storage to make the most