Called liquid-air energy storage (LAES) the plant uses renewable electricity to compress air to extreme densities until it turns to liquid.

The world’s largest demonstration plant for a new kind of renewable energy storage is up and running in the west of the China. Called liquid-air energy storage (LAES) the plant uses renewable electricity to compress air to extreme densities until it turns to liquid. It can then be rapidly released to power a turbine and discharge that green energy back into the grid.

  • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    373·
    1 day ago

    Terrible article.

    • It claims the facility is rated at 600 MWh, and then later claims it’s rated at 400 MWh of energy storage.
    • It does not say how much power it has.
    • It does not say anything about the efficiency of this storage.
    • When it does the roughest cost comparison to Lithium battery storage they say it costs at least 33 cents on the dollar. What’s that supposed to mean, it could also cost 50 cents on the dollar or 80 cents on the dollar, but at least 33 cents on the dollar? Who needs a lower floor on the cost?
    • humanspiral@lemmy.caEnglish
      7·
      8 hours ago

      it is 600mwh dischargeable storage. it produces power at 60mw rated, 65mw peak. It is 50% efficiency range. At this demo size it is $131/kwh storage cost (including all compression/turbine costs). It could be lower at higher storage size, where storage is half the cost of deploying extra batteries. Sure, this is a poor article on the project.

    • A7thStone@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      21 hours ago

      400MWh is the size of the one being planned in Vermont, which would have been the largest commercial system if the states had actually built it. If you follow the link in the article to the story about that one it gives a range of cost per Wh comparing this to hydro storage and lithium ion.

      • A_A@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        17 hours ago

        Thanks for this article that is much better than the original one from the post … although it is still limited in regards to the (obvious) separation of gases when in liquid phases. Yet, it does hint at that separation by saying :

        An air purification system removes moisture, carbon dioxide and other impurities to support reliable operation of the cryogenic process.

        We see why they keep their industrial secrets simply reading what they disclose as their source (from China) :

        Source: Project information published by the Golmud Municipal Government.

    • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      7·
      1 day ago

      This source says that efficiency wasn’t published, but at least it discusses some typical values
      https://climatesolutions.news/spotlight/china-liquid-air-energy-storage-golmud

      However, the developer hasn’t published a round-trip efficiency figure for Golmud. Industry estimates put liquid air energy storage at 50% to 60% on average, rising to 60% to 70% with advanced heat recovery. Lithium-ion batteries typically return well over 80% of the power they take in.