Photo: Hydrostar Canadian location
Compressed air energy storage (CAES) can store energy on a grid scale and is billed as having the reliability of pumped hydro, without the same constraints on building locations. California will host two new Hydrostar compressed-air energy storage facilities with an output of 500 MW and capable of storing 4 GWh of energy, providing between eight and 12 hours of energy over a full discharge at close to its maximum rate. A-CAES uses surplus electricity from the grid or renewable sources to run an air compressor. The compressed air is stored in a big underground tank until energy is needed, when it’s released through a turbine to generate electricity that’s fed back into the grid. Rather than vent the heat generated as the air is compressed, Hydrostor’s system captures that heat and stores it in a separate thermal storage tank, then uses it to reheat the air as it’s fed into the turbine stage, which increases the system’s efficiency. Similar systems are being built in other countries.
This is low-cost, long-duration, bulk energy storage that’s emission-free, flexibly located, and the leading low-cost bulk energy storage solution–half the cost of lithium ion batteries and 10 times the lifespan.
newatlas.com/energy/hydrostor-compressed-air-energy-storage/