Construction content and scale of compressed air energy storage project

What is a compressed air energy storage project?

A compressed air energy storage (CAES) project in Hubei, China, has come online, with 300MW/1,500MWh of capacity. The 5-hour duration project, called Hubei Yingchang, was built in two years with a total investment of CNY1.95 billion (US$270 million) and uses abandoned salt mines in the Yingcheng area of Hubei, China’s sixth-most populous province.

What is compressed air energy storage (CAES)?

Among the different ES technologies, compressed air energy storage (CAES) can store tens to hundreds of MW of power capacity for long-term applications and utility-scale. The increasing need for large-scale ES has led to the rising interest and development of CAES projects.

Will China's first large-scale compressed air energy storage project be commercialized?

A state-backed consortium is constructing China’s first large-scale compressed air energy storage (CAES) project using a fully artificial underground cavern, marking a major step in the technology’s commercialization.

Where will compressed air be stored?

In a Compressed Air Energy Storage system, the compressed air is stored in an underground aquifer. Wind energy is used to compress the air, along with available off-peak power. The plant configuration is for 200MW of CAES generating capacity, with 100MW of wind energy.

Does compressed air energy storage improve the profitability of existing power plants?

The use of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) improves the profitability of existing Simple Cycle, Combined Cycle, Wind Energy, and Landfill Gas Power Plants.\n\nNakhamkin, M. and Chiruvolu, M. (2007). Available Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Plant Concepts. In: Power-Gen International, Minnestota.

What are the main components of a compressed air system?

The largest component in such systems is the storage medium for the compressed air. This means that higher pressure storage enables reduced volume and higher energy density.