Slovakia Compressed Air Energy Storage Project

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.

Can compressed air energy storage improve the profitability of existing power plants?

Linden Svd, Patel M. New compressed air energy storage concept improves the profitability of existing simple cycle, combined cycle, wind energy, and landfill gas power plants. In: Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2004: Power for Land, Sea, and Air; 2004 Jun 14–17; Vienna, Austria. ASME; 2004. p. 103–10. F. He, Y. Xu, X. Zhang, C. Liu, H. Chen

Which energy storage technology has the lowest cost?

The “Energy Storage Grand Challenge” prepared by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) reports that among all energy storage technologies, compressed air energy storage (CAES) offers the lowest total installed cost for large-scale application (over 100 MW and 4 h).

What countries use compressed air?

Buenos Aires, Argentina, used air pulses to move clock arms every minute. Starting in 1896, Paris used compressed air to power homes and industry. Beginning in 1978 with the first utility-scale diabatic CAES project in Huntorf, Germany, CAES has been the subject of ongoing exploration and development for grid applications.

Why do energy storage technologies have a lower incentive than other technologies?

Therefore, the incentive for industry to address these technological shortcomings is lower than for other energy storage technologies. CAES also consists of multiple technologies (e.g., diabatic, adiabatic, isothermal) and some innovations are exclusive to a single technology, thus dampening the combined effects.

How is solar energy used in air storage caverns?

Solar energy is introduced to heat the high-pressure air from the air storage cavern to improve the turbine inlet air temperature. An ORC was introduced to recover the heat carried by the air-turbine exhaust.