By Kolawole Yemisi Victoria
Instead of storing energy in compressed air, it can also be stored in liquid air. This is done using excess renewable energy to power a liquefier, which cools and compresses air into a liquid form at -196°C.
This is then stored in a tank until it is needed, at which point it can be released, heated and turned into a gas that powers electricity turbines.
A key benefit of liquid air energy storage (LAES) is it uses existing technology that is readily available and has a lifetime of over 30 years. On the downside, changing the state of energy in this way leads to energy losses and reduces LAES efficiency to 50-70%. This is much less efficient than lithium-ion batteries, which are around 99% efficient, and could jeopardize the viability of LAES.
However, UK firm Highview Power recently announced plans to build the world’s first commercial-scale LAES plant.
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