The liquid air energy storage system will provide over eight hours of storage
Credit: Highview Power.
Highview Power Storage has entered into a partnership with Encore Renewable Energy to build a 50MW liquid air energy storage system in the US state of Vermont.
The companies claim that it will be the first utility-scale liquid air energy storage system in the country.
The facility will provide over eight hours of storage, or 400MWh, and will assist in resolving the longstanding energy transmission challenges surrounding Vermont’s Sheffield-Highgate Export Interface (SHEI). It will also enable the efficient transport and integration of renewable energy.
Highview Power and Encore announced that they are in discussions with potential utility and transmission grid operators regarding the capabilities and services the energy storage system can provide.
Highview Power USA vice president Salvatore Minopoli said: “With their expertise in community-scale solar PV systems, traditional battery storage applications and solutions for the redevelopment of under-utilised properties, Encore Renewable Energy is a perfect partner for us as we continue expanding our technology in the United States.”
Highview Power has created proprietary liquid air energy storage system named CryoBattery
Highview Power has developed a proprietary liquid air energy storage system, called CryoBattery, that utilises excess or off-peak electricity to clean and compress air that is stored in liquid form in insulated tanks at temperatures approaching minus 196 degrees Celsius.
According to the London-based company, when the electricity is in high demand and more valuable, the pressurised gas is allowed to warm, turning a turbine as it expands and thus generating energy that can be used at peak times when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing.
Encore Renewable Energy founder and CEO Chad Farrell said: “Highview Power’s patented technology offers a unique, cost effective solution for unleashing a greater amount of cost-efficient renewable energy generation in transmission constrained areas.
“It will also allow for fewer curtailments and provide important energy balancing services for the rapidly evolving modern grid; all of which are extremely important as we look to build the infrastructure required to support a robust clean energy economy.”