Liquid Air Energy Storage: Fast Response, Long Duration and Large Scale
(Room Arena 1)
20 Jun 18
11:00 AM
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12:30 PM
Tracks:
Arena 1: Energy storage: A New Paradigm
A meaningful deployment of large-scale renewables demands low-cost bulk Energy Storage systems that can be freely located where they provide the most value. Incumbent large-scale energy storage solutions are constrained by geography and technologies suited for smaller applications are expensive to scale up. Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) leverages the existing global supply chain and its experience to deliver gigawatt-hour storage that is freely locatable where it is needed. The process combines proven components with millions of hours of operational experience in industry to store energy in the form of liquid air. Good economies of scale and long calendar life mean that Liquid Air Energy Storage offers the lowest life-cycle cost for any freely locatable energy storage technology at comparable scale. The system charges using low-cost or curtailed electricity to draw in atmospheric air and cool it until it condenses into its liquid form at cryogenic temperatures. The liquid air is at close to atmospheric pressure and can therefore be stored in thermally insulated tanks without the expense of containing a high-pressure fluid. To recover the energy, the liquid air is pumped to high pressure and stored heat is reintroduced to produce a gas, which is expanded in a turbine to turn a synchronous generator. Liquid Air Energy Storage paired with renewables can resolve issues with curtailment and grid constraints and provide sustained, dispatchable capacity. The presentation will look at the cost, delivery and lifecycle performance of the system and also discuss how LAES can be paired with short duration storage to maximize the value of the system for fast response and long duration.