COMMENTS 5


The world’s first grid-scale liquid air energy storage plant opens


Aidan Turnbull Editor H


ighview Power has commissioned a facility in Manchester, UK, as ‘the world’s first demonstration of an advanced, new grid-scale liquid air energy storage (LAES) technology.’


The demo project, which has maximum power output of 5MW and a storage capacity of 15MWh, was officially switched on by the chief scientific advisor at the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), John Loughhead. Highview co-developed the LAES plant, which is located at


the Pilsworth landfill gas site with waste management and renewable energy company Viridor. The project was developed in part thanks to £8 million in funding from the UK government. John Loughhead comments: “The deployment of smart,


flexible technologies, such as energy storage, will help to ensure the UK has a secure, affordable and clean energy system now and in the future in keeping with the priorities within UK government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.” He explains: “We’re pleased to have been able to support the


Pilsworth demonstrator through our Energy Innovation Program aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes.” Highview reports that demand response aggregator KiWi


Power will be able to draw energy from the LAES plant to power about 5,000 average-sized homes for around three hours. The technology exploys excess electricity to compress air


and cool it down to minus 196° C, condensing it into a liquid. The liquid is then stored in low-pressure insulated containers. When electricity is required, the air is removed from the containers and reheated, causing it to evaporate back into a gas and rapidly


expand. The expanding air is then used to drive a turbine and generate power. Waste heat from the liquification process is stored and reused to assist with regasification. Waste cold from the regasification process is likewise stored


and reused to assist with liquification. The technology is said to have an efficiency of 60 to 75%. Highview Power, liquid air energy storage (LAES) offers


several advantages over alternative storage technologies. Unlike most batteries, LAES does not require the use of


expensive rare metals or harmful chemicals. The plant is comprised largely of steel, giving it a working


lifespan of 30 to 40 years, compared to just 10 years for a typical lithium-ion battery. At the end of its life, the steel can be recycled without difficulty. The storage capacity can be easily increased by scaling up


the storage vessels. It is not dependent on the availability of appropriate geographical features, which limits the potential capacity of pumped hydro storage. This also means it can be located close to generation or demand, minimising transmission and distribution losses. These advantages mean the technology is particularly well-


suited to providing affordable long-range storage, which will be essential to operating the power grid entirely on renewables, Highview Power reports. The company expects the first commercial plant to have a power output of 50MW and a storage capacity of 200MWh. It has envisioned creating a “gigaplant” with a power output of 200MW and a storage capacity of 1.2GWh, and there are no technical barriers to creating even larger facilities, says Highview Power.


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