Called liquid-air energy storage (LAES) the plant uses renewable electricity to compress air to extreme densities until it turns to liquid.

The world’s largest demonstration plant for a new kind of renewable energy storage is up and running in the west of the China. Called liquid-air energy storage (LAES) the plant uses renewable electricity to compress air to extreme densities until it turns to liquid. It can then be rapidly released to power a turbine and discharge that green energy back into the grid.

  • JiralEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    If you go to pressured tanks, wouldn’t hydrogen via electrolysis/fuel cells be a more capable and efficient storage option? What’s the energy density compared?

    • sumsinjEnglish
      4·
      4 hours ago

      Idk about the cryogenic/liquified part of it but h2(g) is really corrosive and notorious bad for all kinds of storages because of that. Also imo h2 isn’t the best storage because it is too valuable in industry processes, a good way to get rid of excess energy but not to feed energy back into the system.

      The other part being the energy put into the electrolysis, yes h2 has more energy, but a whole extra process + buffer storage and turbines and compressors that are h2-able.

      N2 is inert

      • JiralEnglish
        1·
        3 hours ago

        Fair points, except for the value of H2, it really does not matter that much in a process that both produces and consumes it. The most efficient storage system, at least for anything that is more than just very short term is still pumping water up and let it flow down. It can also store immense amounts of energy given one has the geography to build such system. Which is also the main limitation. I guess we are looking for the second best storage system here.

        I doubt that for day cycle compensation anything can beat battery systems. But the issue is seasonal storage.

        • sumsinjEnglish
          1·
          2 hours ago

          H2 is used for many other products (steel reduction, ammonia), right now its produced from methane. If we were to replace methane with a green source (aka when green storage systems would also be a big part of the ecosystem) then we’d need to replace it or the price for anything would explode, because we can’t produce anything without steel nor ammonia.

          So its not really of much value right now, but if we want to make everything CO2 neutral, then hydrogen will be expensive. So noone will just produce it and not sell it. At least that is my prediction.