Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

How is enegry stored?

Once energy is harnessed from it's source how is it stored before it is ultimately used? Scientific answers only please.

Update:

OK...good point of this being a broad question. Let's say you have a hydro electric powerplant. After energy is harnessed what makes it be posible to be stored instead of needing to be used immediately?

8 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It's all about potential vs kinetic energy...

    A hydroelectric plant uses the potential energy of a mass of water held at a certain height. The water is released from a height and converts its potential energy as it cascades down into kinetic energy in the form of the speed of the water. 1/2 mv^2 = mgh KE = PE etc.

    When the kinetic energy hits the turbines of the plant, it slows the velocity of the water, converting the kinetic energy back into potential energy. The water turns the turbines, generating a static electricity charge that is stored in capacitators as potential energy ready to be used by the power system.

    electrical energy can be stored simply by removing its ability to short circuit. Since objects tend to rest, energy is looking to minimize it's energy. So if electricity can flow to a lower potential, it will. If it can't then it stays stored. Like a battery if you only connect one end, won't power a lightbulb because it can't complete the circuit.

  • 1 decade ago

    Energy in it's source is at rest

    after then if certain charges applies into it, it creating force like a tree diagram (replicating) imagen a generator of a hydro power station , if water is opened into a canal at a speed, the turbain start to rottate thus energy cannot be stored by the source. A moment a source complement the stroke energy is given as follow 2x...6x...8x....constant 8x....8x..

  • 5 years ago

    An analogy between ATP and rechargeable batteries is appropriate. The batteries are used, giving up their potential energy until it has all been converted into kinetic energy and heat/unusable energy. Recharged batteries (into which energy has been put) can be used only after the input of additional energy. Thus, ATP is the higher energy form (the recharged battery) while ADP is the lower energy form (the used battery). When the terminal (third) phosphate is cut loose, ATP becomes ADP (Adenosine diphosphate; di= two), and the stored energy is released for some biological process to utilize. The input of additional energy (plus a phosphate group) "recharges" ADP into ATP (as in my analogy the spent batteries are recharged by the input of additional energy).

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    convert ac to dc and store in batteries, rubber band,,,wind it up and you have stored energy. explosives=stored energy. if you could convert hot air to energy just store up heat, it lifts ballons all the time. isn't science fun? start listening to short wave. get a receiver off ebay, find a ham or electronics guy to help you. they will but do something for them also. sweep the floor empty the trash. these guys can teach you tube theory/semiconductors/machine tool work,etc! there is more to life than a keyboard.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • 1 decade ago

    Many ways.

    Electrical energy is stored in batteries or capacitors.

    Mechanical energy can be stored with a fly-wheel. by a

    raising a weight against gravity, or fluid power in a hydraulic accumulator.

    Chemical - like petroleum or man made flammable materials or explosives.

    How long do you want this list to be?

  • 1 decade ago

    Wonderful question: Several ways.

    The most common ones are Electromagnetic, Nuclear Strong Force, and Nuclear Weak Force.

    Electromagnetic energy is stored in covalent bonds.

    Do you know what keeps you from falling to the center of the earth?

    you are being supported by the electromagnetic energy STORED in the tight covalent bonds of all the molecules you are standing on.

    Energy is stored in Nuclei. We have seen the incredible amount of raw energy released when a nucleus is fissured. and nuclear-energy generates power for whole cities in the USA.

    In plants: plants trap solar energy like a big rat trap!

    carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil act like the trap and the spring. for one reason: to trap solar energy. Solar energy is tackled down and held inside the plant sugars.

    yep it's stored in there, invisible to the naked eye.

    But we know it's there because of the equation

    6CO2 + 6H20 = C6H12O6.

    6 carbon dioxides (from the atmosphere) + 6 waters (H2O from the ground) equals 1 sugar (c6h1206)

    The solar energy is the stuff that magically changes 6 carbon dioxides and 6 waters into a sugar.

    It's stored there till something gets it out.

    We yank the energy out when we eat plant sugars. The cells in our body break down the sugar into 3 parts: You getting this? 3 parts. carbon dioxide, water, and energy.

    Yep, that sugar is turned back into the 6CO2 and 6H2O that the plant first stole from the earth and atmosphere in the first place. and and and : the solar energy that held them all together into 1 sugar is also released and used by us as...Energy for living. Energy for our cells to keep alive.

    So how do we remove that extra water and carbon dioxide from our bodies because we don't need them anymore?

    Every time we breathe out, carbon dioxide and water vapor go out.

    LIKE MAGIC

  • 1 decade ago

    By water Mills

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    kind of a broad question dont you think? what type of energy?

    batteries. capacitors. in living things, stored in cells (fat is just one example).

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.