Using spare green energy to compress air into a liquid and store it for later use.
.
Batteries are increasingly important, but still problematic:
New lithium battery technology – Vision Group for Sidmouth
The growing problem of e-waste – Vision Group for Sidmouth
.
The Guardian reports on a breakthrough technology scaled up:
.
Climate emission killer: construction begins on world’s biggest liquid air battery
Exclusive: project will store renewable energy and reduce climate-heating emissions
Construction is beginning on the world’s largest liquid air battery, which will store renewable electricity and reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fuel power plants.
The project near Manchester, UK, will use spare green energy to compress air into a liquid and store it. When demand is higher, the liquid air is released back into a gas, powering a turbine that puts the green energy back into the grid.
A big expansion of wind and solar energy is vital to tackle the climate emergency but they are not always available. Storage is therefore key and the new project will be the largest in the world outside of pumped hydro schemes, which require a mountain reservoir to store water.
The new liquid air battery, being developed by Highview Power, is due to be operational in 2022 and will be able to power up to 200,000 homes for five hours, and store power for many weeks. Chemical batteries are also needed for the transition to a zero-carbon world and are plummeting in price, but can only store relatively small amounts of electricity for short periods.
…
.
Here’s the company’s press release:
Highview Power launches world’s first grid-scale liquid air energy storage plant | Highview Power
And a video: