Matthew Kanan

Matthew Kanan is a Stanford University Professor of Chemistry and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy. His research develops chemistry and electrochemical technologies for sustainable materials, resource recovery, carbon management, and renewable-energy conversion; he also co-founded ReSource Chemical and Mafix.

Grid Storage Choices Turn on Efficiency, Cost, and Geography

Stanford instructors Matthew Kanan and Yi Cui argue that meeting rising electricity demand alongside variable renewable generation requires choosing among storage systems with distinct physical and infrastructure constraints. Kanan says the relevant trade-offs are efficiency, cost and geography: pumped hydro depends on reservoirs and elevation, while underground hydrogen storage converts electricity into fuel that requires a salt cavern and equipment to return it to the grid. Cui adds that AI data-center growth strengthens the case for storage, while AI-based materials prediction could accelerate battery development.

Stanford OnlineSep 2, 20263 min read