A party balloon is a battery. Inflate one and release it in the air to convince yourself it is an energy storage system. Canadian company Hydrostor has been using giant balloon accumulators to release compressed air to drive wind turbines in peak demand periods. Before we explain how to play air hockey with a balloon, let’s first investigate Hydrostor’s technology.
How Hydrostor Powers Wind Turbines
Hydrostor describes itself as a low-cost, bulk energy storage solution to intermittent electricity from wind and solar power. It invented a system of pressurized underwater balloons that store excess renewable energy in the form of compressed air. This releases later in peak demand to drive wind turbines.
The company set up a test installation in Lake Ontario near Toronto in 2015, comprising 55 giant balloons resting on the lake floor. These are similar in design to those used to raise sunken ships. When needed, the system releases compressed air to a turbine on land. Moreover, heat from the process is also stored in heat exchangers.
How to Use a Balloon to Play Air Hockey
Tabletop air hockey boards have a cushion of air created on the playing surface by multiple jets. This keeps the puck floating like a tiny hovercraft. In today’s experiment we build a vehicle that uses its own air energy to levitate. For the rest, the rules are the same as the regular game. Except players use their hands, not striker sticks to play air hockey.
Hydrostor’s Lake Ontario balloon battery project is continuing to pump energy into Alberta’s renewable energy program. There are many strings to it, including pumped storage schemes, and of course storage batteries too. The $900 million Marmora project will use an old mine pit to hold water, this flows down to turbines when the need arises as it is essential to phase out carbon.
Related
Energy: The Source of Work and Heat
How Flywheel Energy Storage Is a Battery
Preview Image: Hydrostor System
Video Share Links
