Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Batteries and Fuel Cells

Batteries and Fuel Cells

A battery is a galvanic cell that is used as a source of electrical power for specific applications. Modern batteries exist in a multitude of forms to accommodate various applications, from tiny button batteries such as those that power wristwatches to the very large batteries used to supply backup energy to municipal power grids. Some batteries are designed for single-use applications and cannot be recharged (primary cells), while others are based on conveniently reversible cell reactions that...

DC Battery

DC Battery

A conductor needs to be a component of a path that creates a closed loop or full circuit to have a continuous current flowing through it. A current starts to flow if an electric field is created inside an isolated conductor that is not part of a full circuit. The conductor quickly develops a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. These charges generate an electric field opposite the direction of the applied electric field, which reduces the current. Eventually,...

Multiple Voltage Sources

Multiple Voltage Sources

Generally, a single battery is not enough to power some devices. In such cases, batteries can be combined in two ways: in series or in parallel.
In series, the positive terminal of one battery is connected to the negative terminal of another battery. Hence, the voltage of each battery is added to give the net voltage, which is increased because each battery boosts the electrons that enter it. The same current flows through each battery because they are connected in series.
Batteries are...

Voltaic/Galvanic Cells

Voltaic/Galvanic Cells

Spontaneous Chemical Reactions
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...

Faraday Disk Dynamo

Faraday Disk Dynamo

A Faraday disk dynamo is a DC generator, producing an emf that is constant in time. It consists of a conducting disk that rotates with a constant angular velocity in the magnetic field, perpendicular to the disk's plane. The rotation of the disk causes a change in magnetic flux, which induces an emf, causing opposite charges to develop on the rim and in the center of the disk. The polarity of the induced emf can be determined by the direction of the magnetic field and the direction of the...

Potentiometer

Potentiometer

Voltage and current measurements using a standard voltmeter and ammeter alter the circuit being measured either by drawing or resisting the current flow, which introduces uncertainties in the measurements. Null measurements balance the voltages so that no current flows through the measuring device and, therefore, no alterations occur in the measured circuit.
Suppose the emf of a battery needs to be measured. If the battery is directly connected to a standard voltmeter, the measured quantity is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The Mystery of the Vanishing Mussels: What's driving America's freshwater mussels toward extinction?

Scientific American·2026

Same author

Can We Protect Every Species?: The Endangered Species Act requires that every U.S. plant and animal be saved from extinction, but after 50 years, we have to do much more to prevent a biodiversity crisis.

Scientific American·2024

Same author

A sunshade for planet earth.

Scientific American·2008

Same author

Perceptions of science. Deep-sea biology: living with the endless frontier.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2003

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2025

$In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries$

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

Water batteries.

Robert Kunzig¹

¹Robert Kunzig is a journalist in Birmingham, Alabama.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|January 25, 2024

Summary

Pumped storage hydropower plants provide essential energy storage. They generate electricity when intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar power are unavailable.

Area of Science:

Energy Systems Engineering
Renewable Energy Integration
Hydropower Technology

Background:

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are intermittent, leading to fluctuations in electricity supply.
Energy storage solutions are crucial for grid stability and reliability when integrating high levels of renewable energy.
Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is a mature and scalable technology for large-scale energy storage.

Discussion:

PSH plants act as large batteries, storing excess energy by pumping water to a higher reservoir.
During periods of high demand or low renewable generation, stored water is released to generate electricity.
This process helps to balance supply and demand, ensuring a consistent power output.

Key Insights:

Pumped storage hydropower effectively addresses the intermittency of wind and solar power.

More Related Videos

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Published on: January 7, 2019

Fabrication of VB2/Air Cells for Electrochemical Testing

Fabrication of VB2/Air Cells for Electrochemical Testing

Published on: August 5, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2025

$In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries$

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Extending the Lifespan of Soluble Lead Flow Batteries with a Sodium Acetate Additive

Published on: January 7, 2019

Fabrication of VB2/Air Cells for Electrochemical Testing

Fabrication of VB2/Air Cells for Electrochemical Testing

Published on: August 5, 2013

PSH offers a reliable method for grid-scale energy storage, enhancing grid stability.

The technology plays a vital role in facilitating the transition to a renewable energy-dominated power system.

Outlook:

Further development and deployment of PSH are essential for achieving decarbonization goals.
Optimizing PSH operations can improve the economic viability of renewable energy projects.
Research into advanced PSH designs and hybrid systems could further enhance its capabilities.