Energy storage is required to match wind generation to consumption. This time shifting can be accomplished with several hours of storage, but studies have shown that the economic value of such storage systems is unlikely to support their widespread use. This does not mean that the outlook is uniformly bleak for storage with wind power. This paper discusses storage systems ranging from a few seconds of run time to several hours, and provides a rationale for the use of systems with several minutes of run time to support a high penetration of wind power into weak electricity grids. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.