Monrovia compressed air energy storage project

What is compressed air energy storage?

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is one of the many energy storage options that can store electric energy in the form of potential energy (compressed air) and can be deployed near central power plants or distribution centers. In response to demand, the stored energy can be discharged by expanding the stored air with a turboexpander generator.

Will compressed air be viable?

Some of the biggest questions surrounding the viability of compressed air involve economics. Hydrostor expects its Kern County project to produce just 60% to 65% of the electricity it consumes — a larger loss of energy than with lithium-ion batteries and several other kinds of storage.

Is compressed air energy storage a viable alternative to pumped hydro?

Another technology that's been in use for decades is compressed air energy storage (CAES), which can store energy on a grid scale and is billed as having the reliability of pumped hydro, without the same constraints on where you can build it.

What is advanced compressed air energy storage (a-CAES)?

They will run on an updated version of the technology called advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES). A-CAES uses surplus electricity from the grid or renewable sources to run an air compressor.

How many compressed air storage projects are there in the world?

For decades, there were only two operating compressed-air storage projects worldwide, at salt domes in Alabama and Germany. Another challenge is that those projects depend in part on natural gas.

How efficient is a compressed air storage system?

This could prove to be key; compressed air storage systems have typically offered round-trip efficiencies between 40-52 percent, and Quartz is reporting more like 60 percent for this system. Hydrostor’s A-CAES also makes use of a closed-loop reservoir to maintain the system at a constant pressure during operation.