Construction of Lisbon s largest compressed air energy storage project begins

What is a compressed air energy storage project?

A compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Hubei, China, has come online, with 300MW/1,500MWh of capacity. The 5-hour duration project, called Hubei Yingchang, was built in two years with a total investment of CNY1.95 billion (US$270 million) and uses abandoned salt mines in the Yingcheng area of Hubei, China’s sixth-most populous province.

What is compressed air energy storage (CAES)?

Among the different ES technologies, compressed air energy storage (CAES) can store tens to hundreds of MW of power capacity for long-term applications and utility-scale. The increasing need for large-scale ES has led to the rising interest and development of CAES projects.

When did compressed air storage start?

The concept of large-scale compressed air storage was developed in the middle of the last century. The first patent for compressed air storage in artificially constructed cavities deep underground, as a means of storing electrical energy, was issued in the United States in 1948.

Can compressed air be stored underground?

Although the storage of compressed air on the surface is possible, for example, in spherical and pipe storage systems, or in gasometers, these have much lower storage capacities than underground storage systems. Installation concepts at the grid scale therefore usually depend on the underground storage system.

Where will compressed air be stored?

Compressed air was scheduled to be stored in four wells drilled into a flood basalt formation. The status of the project is currently unclear , . 4.7.18. Selah, Washington (United States)—Status Unclear This project in Yakima Canyon in Selah, Washington (United States) brings together compressed air storage and geothermal energy.

How is energy stored in compressed air?

In Germany, a patent for the storage of electrical energy via compressed air was issued in 1956 whereby “energy is used for the isothermal compression of air; the compressed air is stored and transmitted long distances to generate mechanical energy at remote locations by converting heat energy into mechanical energy” .