Could Abandoned Mine Shafts Solve Our Energy Storage Problems?

The renewable energy revolution has a storage problem. Wind and solar energy are variable, meaning that, unlike fossil fuels, they don’t produce according to demand. Instead, they are reliant on the weather, the time of day, and the season of the year, meaning that energy production will wax and wane according to patterns far outside of human control. What’s more, these patterns are often in direct opposition to energy consumption patterns – we all turn our lights on when the sun goes down, forcing solar panels to clock out for…