Compressed air energy storage is gaining momentum as the playbook behind the tech comes into focus.

7 comments

1. A good realistic summary of the technology

2. > round-trip efficiency of about 66 per cent.

   Not really impressive tbh.

3. The limitation is the heat of compression that is lost.

4. Thinking that the decompression/energy-delivery stage of this tech produces cooling. This is an interesting difference to other systems and could provide opportunities

5. This is the way.

6. Is this really new technology? My father used to drag me to his garage back in the 70s and 80s because he wanted me to be a mechanic like him… Let’s just say it didn’t work out and it wasn’t happening.

   But all the cars that we lifted up in the air to work on, it was all hydraulic. There was this big tank in the back room that would compress the air and it would lift the cars up that way.

7. With lithium iron phosphate batteries dropping to $43/kWhr and sodium batteries threatening $20/kWhr, everything else is dead. It does not matter if it is compressed air, thermal sand, hydrogen fuel cells or levitating flywheels. None of them can compete on price.

   While all of the others may find small niches where they can compete, the overall race for energy storage is batteries by a large margin.

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