Capture wind underground not carbon!
4 new projects show the viability of storing captured wind energy underground. So why are we still investing in far more expensive carbon capture?
Image: ISEP ISEP will use the energy from a large wind power facility located in Iowa where there are good wind resources. This wind energy will be used to store air in an underground geologic structure. During peak power demands, the stored air will be released, mixed with a fuel and used to power combustion turbines that produce environmentally friendly and economical electricity ... Wind turbines, deep underground air storage, and efficient combustion turbines will be used by ISEP to take the variability of wind and turn it into clean energy on demand. The project will enable utilities and their customers to add additional renewable energy to their power supplies.
Another big difference between CAES and CCS is that the compressed air stores energy from a clean source of fuel, while CCS stores waste from a dirty source. So if there exists only a limited number of underground formations suitable for storage, why wouldn't we leverage our manpower, money, energy resources and engineering prowess to accomplish the latter? Simple logic, right?
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Comments
I had not heard of this technology till now. I like the concept of storing air at a pressure that is appropriate for direct use in a gas turbine because there is no additional efficiency loss in compressors/expanders.
But I don't think it is relevant to compare it to underground carbon dioxide storage because the latter is a liquid and is stored at pressures in excess of 100 bars found at depths in excess of 1000 metres, while air storage must be at much lower pressures, and presumably.... More
