Advanced CAES is a new iteration of an old technology that’s able to harness air’s elastic potential to store energy until it’s ready to be used, which could be a huge game-changer for renewable energy.
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In a world in desperate need to go carbon-free, solar, wind, and renewables are the future, but our present ability to store their excess energy falls short. 

Of the many possible solutions, compressed air seems to be sweeping some in the energy sector off their feet. Compressed air energy storage, or CAES, takes advantage of air’s ability to be stored in the form of elastic potential energy until we’re ready to use it.

We’re currently grappling with modernizing the world’s power grid and a major challenge is to make renewables reliable in every situation, not just on sunny, cloud-free days. That’s because renewable energy needs to be “firmed,” meaning that it can give energy on-demand in every situation.

CAES is lauded by some in the energy sector as a sustainable way to make renewables the world’s go-to energy source, who say that this storage system could be the sustainable energy storage we’ve all been waiting for. The technology converts electrical energy into high-pressure air, which is later released to drive a turbine.

And while theoretically, CAES could be a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to batteries, there are still a few things holding it back. But an updated version of this old technology, developed by the Canadian company Hydrostor, could give CAES the boost it needs to succeed.

Find out more about Hydrostor’s plans to bring compressed air energy storage into the mainstream on this Elements.

#Energy #Sustainability #Technology #Seeker #Science #Elements

Could Injecting Carbon Into the Earth Save Our Planet?

Read More:
Storing energy in compressed air could finally become cheap enough for the big time
https://qz.com/1711536/canadian-startup-hydrostor-is-storing-energy-in-compressed-air/
“Having to use an underground cavern means Hydrostor can’t build its plant just anywhere. But VanWalleghem says that, unlike the strict geological needs of oil-and-gas companies, compressed air can be stored in many types of rock formations. That means Hydrostor can technically build its plants on 70% of the planet’s landmass.”

Let’s store solar and wind energy – by using compressed air
http://theconversation.com/lets-store-solar-and-wind-energy-by-using-compressed-air-103183
“Energy is already stored, of course, in batteries or various other technologies. Even reservoirs can act as huge stores of energy. However nothing that exists or is in development can store energy as well, and as cheaply, as compressed air.”

The grid of the future will be powered by … giant subterranean bagpipes?
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/hydrostor-grid-of-the-future/
“Right now, the world relies predominantly on two different grid energy storage techniques: pumped/dammed hydroelectricity, and batteries. Other methods do exist, but batteries and “pumped hydro,” as they call it, are by far the most common.”

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It’s not in the papers but a silent revolution is moving across the world. Renewable energy is becoming cheaper than from fossil fuels. It means that progressively the choice for wind and solar energy is no longer an ethical one but an economic one. And this will speed up the transfer to renewable energy.

In countries like Brazil, Australia, Chile and parts of the United States people consider renewable energy because of financial reasons. The price of solar and wind energy will continue to drop and in more countries renewable energy will occur.

A surprising newcomer on the market is Morocco, where the government expects that in 2020 more than 40 percent of the energy could come from solar energy.

Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2016.
© VPRO Backlight March 2016

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Credits:
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