Compressed air energy storage

Energy Storage in Buildings, A Technology Overview (BG 73/2018), written by John Piggott and published by BSRIA in March 2018, sates: ‘Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) systems, like pumped hydro, are large scale methods of storing energy for later conversion into electricity. Electricity is used to compress atmospheric air up to around 70 bar, which is then stored in liquid form, in either steel pressure vessels or underground caverns. When electricity is required, the air is expanded through a turbine which is connected to an alternator. A key feature of this system is that when the air is compressed, it heats up and has to be cooled before it is stored. Likewise, when the air is expanded to produce electricity, it cools rapidly and heat must be added to prevent the equipment from freezing. This is achieved by burning natural gas or re-using the heat that was extracted from the air when it was first compressed, having first stored it as hot water in a large tank.’

--BSRIA

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