Long-Duration Liquid Air Energy in Vermont

When air cools to a very low temperature, say -215 °C / -355 F it condenses into a pale blue mobile liquid. It is however able to re-absorb heat quickly and soon return to being a gas. The air decreases and increases by volume during this cycle. This introduces the possibility of renewable long-duration liquid air energy. A UK technology company with a U.S. presence is first off the block with this in the United States.

Plans for Long-Duration Liquid Air Energy in Vermont

Grid service-provider Highview Power announced plans to capitalize on this technology on December 19, 2019. It wants to build a 50 megawatt ‘CRYO Battery’ with potential for 400 megawatt hour storage in northern Vermont.

Their long-duration storage project will use off-peak power to clean and compress air in liquid form. Environment Energy Leader says the new facility will store the pale blue mobile liquid at extremely low temperatures in tanks. It will then re-gasify the air at ambient temperature during peak demand, achieving a 700-fold expansion. This released energy will drive a turbine and generate renewable electricity.

The Follows Similar Projects Across United Kingdom

Highview Power says their latest long-duration liquid air energy initiative will help resolve longstanding challenges at Vermont’s Sheffield export interface. This is the point where generators connect / disconnect with the grid as load varies.

An earlier report dated 29 June, 2017 detailed the challenges the utility faces when a generator enters an unexpected outage, threatening a grid collapse. The document noted the system was adequate with all facilities in service. However, curtailments during peak demand periods could have negative impacts on load. The solution lay in balancing maintenance outages however this was not always possible to achieve precisely .

Therefore, the proposed long-duration liquid air energy project will help resolve these longstanding challenges at Vermont’s Sheffield export interface. It’s good news they are not adding another natural gas generator, and have chosen clean renewable energy instead.