Compressing air using another energy source, stores the original energy for future use. When we release that air later, we can use it to drive a turbine. This is an attractive option for storing solar energy in daytime, in order to reinforce a utility grid during hours of darkness. A company named Hydrostor is developing a new compressed air battery in California as a bold step into that future.
Compressed Air Batteries Are Not New Technology
Prototypes already exist in Alabama and Germany, according to InHabitat. There, companies have poured water into underground salt dome resources, to melt out large caverns. However, they still have to heat their compressed air to bring it to sufficient, usable pressure.
Hydrostor’s method involves going deeper down in California, to obtain more latent heat to warm their compressed air further. The procedure is as elegant as it is imaginative:
- First, drill three shafts several thousand feet below ground.
- Then, send miners down to carve out rows and caverns.
The completed project will provide storage space equal to two football fields, each 300 feet high. The Central Coast Community Energy utility will draw on the compressed air battery by opening a valve, and releasing it through a turbine.
This Sounds Expensive. Is the Cost Worth It?
The answer is a resounding no in the short term. Some critics go as far as describing compressed air batteries as ‘greenwashing’ over the harsh reality of climate change. However that said, global investors Goldman Sachs have pumped in $250 million. Canadian Pensions Fund has put a further $25 million on the table.
There is evidence, InHabitat says, that Hydrostor will pull a rabbit out the hat, and get their gigantic gadget to work. The company claims potential to supply 60% to 65% of California’s electricity needs. The project will do away with lithium, and last a very long time.
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