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NETWORK / 21 / NOVEMBER 2019 get pulled into use for electric vehi- cles," he says. "Over the next few years the market will need longer duration storage that compliments existing lithium short duration storage. We need to have energy storage that is recyclable, has a low carbon footprint and can be used safely wherever it is needed." Long-term battery storage Kitchin believes Cumulus Energy Storage can help fill this gap in the market with its re- chargeable copper/zinc battery for stationary energy storage. According to the company, the scalability of the battery offers significant benefits as its bipolar design means that individual cells can be added in series to meet the desired voltage re - quirement. The battery also has an expected lifecycle of 30 years with planned maintenance, and is 98 per cent recyclable at the end of its life. Similarly keen to revolutionise the long-duration energy stor - age market, UK startup Highview Power is championing cryogenic technology for energy storage. This involves storing energy in compressed gas that has been turned into "liquid air", and can be configured to convert waste heat and cold to power. Earlier this year, the company unveiled its modular cryogenic energy storage system, the CryoBattery, which it says is scalable up to multiple gigawatts of energy storage and can be installed anywhere. In October, Highview Power announced plans to build the first commercial cryogenic energy stor - age facility at a decommissioned thermal power station in the north of England, delivering 50 MW/250 MWh of storage capacity. The tech - nology was developed at Highview Power's pilot plant in Slough, and later evolved at a demonstration plant in Pilsworth, Greater Man - chester (see photo, le–), whcih as been in operation since early 2018. Along with this first large-scale facility, Highview Power says it is developing a portfolio of projects in the UK and is securing sites. Barriers to adoption Energy storage will be essential tionary storage market, either through commercial projects or with the support of government funding. "These technologies will be vital in order to enable the renewables market to max- imise its potential," he says. To ensure more long duration energy storage capacity is installed across the network, it will also be necessary for more of these new and alternative technologies to be developed in industrial-scale demonstration units. "There are some opportuni- ties currently available to allow energy storage developers to utilise commercial-scale demonstra- tion units for new technologies," Kitchin adds. "Really driving these demonstration projects forward is vital to facilitating the development of the marketplace." "Trying to make the economic case for energy storage is tricky for a lot of businesses at the moment," he says. However, as the installation of renewables increases, investment in energy storage will be vital to reduce network costs in the long term. "National Grid has to pay to balance generation and demand in the UK. That includes the £125 mil - lion wind constraint payment for windfarm operators to not generate electricity," adds Kitchin. "These are just some of the symptoms of the problem as you get more and more renewables without suitable energy storage solutions." Future solutions Looking ahead, Kitchin believes there is a real need for more in- novation and new technologies to be developed for the sta- Gravitricity Using a similar concept to pumped hydropower (see over), but using disused mines rather than a landscape with the right topographical features, is Gravitricity, an Edinburgh-based start up that was recently a finalist in Shell's New Energy Challenge for energy start-ups. Its technology is based on the principle of raising and lowering a heavy weight to store and release energy. It is proposing to suspends weights of 500 to 5000 tonnes in deep mine shafts by a number of cables, each of which is engaged with a winch capable of lifting its share of the weight. Electrical power is then absorbed or generated by raising or lowering the weight. The weight is guided by a system of tensioned guide wires to prevent it from swinging and damaging the shaft. The winch system can be accurately controlled through the electrical drives to keep the weight stable in the hole. Gravitricity is claiming a 50-year design life, while in operation it would have a response time of less than one second from zero to full power. Efficiency is estimated at between 80 and 90 percent. The company is currently crowdfunding, through the investment platform Crowdcube, to build its first 250kW concept demonstrator and complete the detailed design of its first full- scale system. to achieve the smart, flexible network of the future, but what are the major barriers to adopt- ing these new technologies? The potential vulnerability of energy storage systems and the risk of cyber attacks is a fundamental concern. The latest Cyber Risk Out- look from Cambridge University's Centre for Risk Studies reported that 65 per cent of companies in the energy sector have experienced a supply chain attack. Andrea Carcano, chief product officer and co-founder at Nozomi Networks, warns that cyber attacks on energy storage systems could cause short- and long-term power outages that could result in signifi - cant social and economic damage. "There are a number of ways energy storage systems are vulner- able to attack," he says. "Indus- troyer – the malware that attacked Ukraine's power grid in 2016 – is a good example. In fact, a test team at TUV Rheinland, one of Nozomi Networks' partners, demonstrated two ways in which such attackers could fine-tune their activities and hit storage systems via inverters. "First, they could manipulate the grid-connected power of PV and storage to cause fluctuations in voltage frequency and ultimately grid failure. They could also manipulate battery management systems, causing batteries to burn out or fail." To ensure energy storage as - sets remain secure, Carcano says network operators must always be prepared for a worst-case scenario. "They can do this by imple - menting cybersecurity programs with technical and administrative controls supported by management buy-in, periodic site-specific risk assessments, basic cyber hygiene, backup and disaster recovery plans, cyber incident remediation plans, change management, cyber incident insurance, and training for personnel," he says. "On the technical side, prepara - tions include defence-in-depth ar- chitectures including ISA/IEC 62443 [technical standard], ICS aware firewalls, network monitoring and visibility, and patch management." Cyber security aside, Kitchin believes that one of the main pro - hibitors to new technologies is cost.