Compressed Air Energy Storage Power Station in North America

What is compressed air energy storage?

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is one of the many energy storage options that can store electric energy in the form of potential energy (compressed air) and can be deployed near central power plants or distribution centers. In response to demand, the stored energy can be discharged by expanding the stored air with a turboexpander generator.

What makes compressed air energy storage in the Pacific Northwest so attractive?

PNNL REPORT ON COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 3 Subject to the availability of additional infrastructure required by the plant configuration (e.g., natural gas, cooling water, transmission). injectivities and a relatively compact air storage zone, making it an attractive target for fluid injection and storage.

What is a compressed air storage system (CAES)?

The basic idea of CAES is to capture and store compressed air in suitable geologic structures underground when off-peak power is available or additional load is needed on the grid for balancing. The stored high-pressure air is returned to the surface and used to produce power when additional generation is needed, such as during peak demand periods.

Is compressed air energy storage feasible in inland Washington and Oregon?

In the first project of its kind, the Bonneville Power Administration teamed with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a full complement of industrial and utility partners to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of developing compressed air energy storage (CAES) in the unique geologic setting of inland Washington and Oregon.

Does Saskatchewan have a compressed air energy storage system?

Figure 1. Compressed Air Energy Storage System. Saskatchewan has highly favourable geological conditions for the deployment of CAES technology due to a layer of rock salt, primarily sodium chloride, which is over 200 metres thick in some southern Saskatchewan areas.

How does the Pacific Northwest store air?

Both plants store air underground in excavated salt caverns produced by solution mining. The Pacific Northwest doesn’t have this type of geology for storage, but the region is home to extensive deposits of porous, permeable rocks that could be used for air storage.